Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale
by TheMidgetTitanSlayer
Summary: "Only true love can break the curse." The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought. They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral. [Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]
1. Chapter 1

**Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale**

 **Summary:**

"Only true love can break the curse."

The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.

They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.

[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.

 **A/N:** I know this is like my second KHR fic after days from the first BUT this plot bunny kept on bugging me so I HAD to write it down xD And yes Tsuna is female here but even so she'll still be known as Sawada Tsunayoshi, because finding a new name will be troublesome and I'll end up confusing myself too -_-

And Viper is female :'3

Do keep in mind that with the Varia comes curse words.

Alright! Read on!

* * *

1\. An unfortunate start.

* * *

" _Just a room for the night. That's all I ask." The hooded girl pleaded._

" _VOI! Who the fuck allowed her in?" The long white haired swordsman yelled._

" _Ushishishi. How did a mere peasant get in here?" The blond who wore a crown twirled a uniquely shaped knife in his hand._

" _Boss! I will take care of this menace!" The large man with an extraordinary moustache exclaimed as he stood up with great force, his chair fell back._

" _Mou~! Where are the lovely men guarding the entrance~?" The flamboyant man with a fancy mohawk wondered aloud._

" _Senpai-tachi. Can I eat the dessert?" The youngest among them who wore a frog hat on top of his teal green hair questioned as his hand reached out for the caramel that lay on the dining table in front of him._

" _That is mine. You will have to pay me if you want it." The woman clad in a cloak with a hood that covered her face hit the younger one's hand._

" _Trash." The man seated on the end of the table growled. He was the boss of the Varia and he did not like to be interrupted when he was enjoying his meal._

" _Just one night." The hooded girl continued, ignoring the chaos. "Just one room."_

 _The boss whipped out his gun and pointed it at her. He had enough of this._

 _BANG!_

" _VOI! IDIOT BOSS! YOU MADE A HOLE ON THE WALL AGAIN!"_

" _Scum." The boss replied as he went back to attack his steak. "I don't care."_

" _Oh really?"_

 _Everyone whipped their head towards where the girl once stood. The dust from the flame-powered shot had started to settle down._

" _You are so…" The hood which the girl wore was discarded and now they could see her features clearly. She had orange hair that fell to her waist and eyes so green they appeared to glow in the dark."Cruel."_

" _Impossible! She's not even scratched!"_

" _Ushishishi."_

" _VOI! WHAT THE HELL!?"_

" _Ah. The dessert fell."_

" _Mou~!"_

" _This. She couldn't be…"_

 _The boss narrowed his eyes as he brought up his gun again. However, before he could shoot, she vanished from her spot and reappeared behind the man. "Xanxus. Wrath."_

 _The Varia suddenly found themselves unable to move. It felt as though something had them in its grasp and the more they tried to fight it, the more trapped they felt._

" _Squalo. Pride." She continued in her sing-song voice. "Belphegor. Sloth."_

 _Only the cloaked woman seemed calm. "You. You're the rumoured-"_

" _Viper. Greed."_

" _-fairy."_

" _Poor little child present in the wrong time, Fran. Gluttony."_

" _Lussuria. Lust."_

" _Levianthan. Envy."_

 _The moment she stopped speaking, a bright light blinded them all. Once they were able to see again properly they all felt…different._

" _What did you do to us?" The cloaked woman demanded. She was the only one who seemed to be able to speak from amongst them._

" _Ahahaha." The girl laughed gleefully. "You want to know? I cursed you!"_

" _What!?" The woman was alarmed and so were the others though their expressions betrayed their emotions._

" _Because you're too full of yourselves." She smiled mischievously. "Correct your own personalities. And maybe the curse will be released…"_

" _Maybe!?"_

" _But of course there is a very important condition." She tilted her head to the side with a thoughtful look on her face. "To break this curse it all depends on your boss. Complete it before the hourglass-" with a wave of her hand an hourglass appeared on the table, blue sand slowly beginning to trickle down. "-runs out of time. If not…_ _ **everyone dies**_ _."_

 _She laughed at their shocked expressions. "Keep in mind!_ _ **Only true love can break the curse**_ _."_

 _POOF!_

 _The moment the 'fairy' disappeared, all of them felt as though a weight had been lifted off their shoulders. The Varia were silent. They processed the words she had spoken to them. They had faced their own share of risky situations where they could've died before but they survived nonetheless. They would survive this like they always did. Right?_

 _It was the white haired swordsman who broke the silence first. "Fuck. We're all dead."_

* * *

 _Reborn stopped walking. He knew he was being watched. His eyes narrowed as he turned to look into the dark alleyway to his right. Pale green eyes glowed in the dark. The owner of the eyes stepped into the light. A young male with short orange hair gestured for him to come closer._

 _The hitman could've ignored it but something in the back of his mind told him that this was important._

" _What?" Reborn questioned immediately._

" _The Varia will die." The male replied. "Only Vongola Decimo can save them."_

 _The hitman frowned. "What do you mean?"_

" _They were cursed by my sister and they will definitely not be able to complete her condition on their own. They need Vongola Decimo's help. It's the only way to save them."_

" _And what if I don't believe your story?"_

 _The male's eyes shone with an unknown emotion as a mysterious smile graced his lips. "Well, you will."_

 _As if on cue, the hitman's cell-phone began to ring. "Yes?"_

" _Reborn. It's the Varia. It seems like they have a problem." Iemitsu explained from the other end. "We need you back in the headquarters. Right now."_

" _I got it." He cut the call and stared at the male in front of him. "You're coming along. Don't resist. I need you to explain what the fuck is going on."_

* * *

The brown haired teenager hummed to herself as she got out of her bath. This morning was strange so to say. Reborn hadn't brutally woken her like he usually did. He wasn't even there to begin with. No. He hadn't been around for a few days. She thought that maybe it had something to do with some assassination. He was afteral, the world's strongest hitman as he had claimed to be. It was peaceful without him around anyway.

"Ah." Sawada Tsunayoshi smiled to herself as she drew back the curtains. The view outside was of the vast forests which surrounded the Vongola mansion. Italy was a peaceful place to be in. "What a great way to start the day. Plus, Reborn's not here to push me around."

"Jyuudaime!" The door suddenly burst open startling the brunette who yelped and turned around to face her Storm Guardian.

"Gokudera-kun!" She exclaimed in surprise.

"AH! I'm so sorry Jyuudaime!" The silver haired teen immediately fell to his knees. "You weren't responding to the knocks so I thought something had happened!"

 _I must have been lost in my own world._ Tsuna sweat-dropped. "It's alright! You don't have to apologise-"

The window flew open with a bang and Tsuna found herself flung to the ground and nursing her sore arm. Her eyes grew wide on noticing the hitman tutor who casually sat on the window sill with a smirk on his lips. "Chaos."

"Reborn! What was that for!?" The brunette complained.

"You always have to be alert Dame-Tsuna." The hitman merely shrugged.

"Jyuudaime!" Gokudera Hayato rushed to his boss's side and helped her up. "Are you alright?"

"Ah. Thank you Gokudera-kun." She smiled with gratitude. Her smile was so warm and innocent; the Storm Guardian found himself blushing. "I'm alright."

"Tsuna." The hitman called out, suddenly sounding serious. "There is an important lesson I have yet to make you learn."

The brunette looked at him suspiciously. The last time he said that, she ended up spending a whole week in the Alps to survive the ' _cold'_. And moreover, he'd left her **alone.** "You brought me to Italy to _enjoy_ the vacation and I would like to go back to the university in one _whole_ piece after the break is over."

"Don't worry Jyuudaime!" The Storm Guardian exclaimed. "We'll all be there to help you!"

"Unfortunately, this lesson is very complicated and only meant for Tsuna." The hitman stated with a smirk that sent shivers down her spine. "Because she has no experience in the field of this lesson and it will serve itself as a _really_ good experience for her."

Tsuna frowned. "If it's another version of the Alps no thank yo-"

"Too bad." Reborn moved swiftly and pressed a nerve on the unfortunate teenager's neck. "Tsuna. Haven't I taught you to be alert all the time? This clearly proves that you need more training."

"You bast…" The brunette collapsed limply into her tutor's arms.

The last thing she saw was his devious smirk and Gokudera's worried face before she slipped into darkness.

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi woke up with a pounding headache. She opened her eyes but shut them closed almost immediately. It was bright. Too bright, to be exact. Then she slowly opened her eyes again. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the light. She found herself staring at the vast blue sky.

Somehow, that seemed to comfort her along with the sweet smell of the roses.

 _Wait._ She quickly sat up. _Outside!? Roses!?_

She was surrounded by roses. A lot of roses which were all white in colour. To top it off, she found herself in a white sleeveless dress and her waist length hair in a loose braid. The last time she remembered, she was in shorts and a t-shirt. "What-!?"

Then suddenly it all rushed back to her and her eyes darkened. It was all Reborn. _A lesson_ , he had said.

The brunette stood up and looked around her. This appeared to be a really big rose garden which wasn't inside a greenhouse. Whoever owned it seemed to take good care of it. She cocked her head to the side. This place seemed rather familiar to her. She had seen this garden once or twice but it was from afar. _Ah, I remember._ She would admire it from the common room window in the mansion of the- _Varia._

The moment realisation stuck her; she noticed a note that lay on the ground where she had once been lying upon. It was written by an all too well-known handwriting.

' _Enjoy your stay in the Varia. As the next boss, you should get to know everyone in your family better. Oh. And yes. They don't know that you're there. Don't even bother trying to escape. Good luck Dame-Tsuna.  
\- Reborn.'_

Tsuna's eyes widened in horror. _I'm in the Varia._

The brunette panicked. Even years of being around them did not calm her uneasiness of the assassination squad. She needed- no. She HAD to get out of this place or she would _die._ She was getting out of here regardless of what her tutor had said. Getting to know them better could wait. She didn't want to die young. She was going to quietly get out. And when she did, Reborn was going to _pay._

Tsuna ran towards what she presumed was the exit.

"Eeeks!" She exclaimed as she tripped and landed on top of something. Something warm. No. More like someone.

Someone who had come to the garden to enjoy a sunbath and a nice nap, away from the chaotic mansion only to have someone else fall on top of them. Someone who growled in annoyance and snapped open their eyes at the sudden disturbance. Someone who owned the rose garden and also the very same someone Sawada Tsunayoshi was dreading to meet.

Caramel brown eyes clashed with crimson red.

"Trash."

"HIIE! Xanxus-san!"

BANG!

* * *

 **A/N:** This is long, but please make sure you **read** it. And yes this is the Varia so…there'll probably be a lot of curse words in the following chapters I guess? I'll be using Italian for the inappropriate sentences though, so that the innocent readers (like my lil sister) don't end up…uhh…scarred xD

Do drop your comments, opinions and can someone please tell me that they're in character and not off? That'll be really appreciated! :'D

Poor Tsuna. But oh well, if unfortunate things don't happen to him then who will it happen to right? I meant 'her' xD

The members of the Varia, if you weren't aware, are based on the seven sins (well, except for Fran but since Gola Mosca was destroyed by Hibari, the illusionist had to take its place :3) so I brought that in as it has a somewhat important (I guess?) role to play in the fic. Hopefully, cause I don't have a definite plot for this new baby xD

Oh and yes. Tsuna's a little older here. 18-19 years, somewhere around that age and no. Here, she has not taken up the title of boss yet as she wants to complete her education first. Or something like that. Well, that's about it :'D

REVIEW! ^^


	2. Chapter 2

**Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale**

* * *

 **Summary:**

"Only true love can break the curse."

The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.

They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.

[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.

 **A/N:** Thank you so much for the favourites, follows and the review! (T^T)/

And do note that with the Varia comes curse words :'3

This is nerve wrecking but here you go! The second chapter! ^^

* * *

2\. This is the VA- _frigging_ -RIA!

* * *

 _Previously,_

 _Tsuna ran towards what she presumed was the exit._

" _Eeeks!" She exclaimed as she tripped and landed on top of something. Something warm. No. More like someone._

 _Someone who had come to the garden to enjoy a sunbath and a nice nap, away from the chaotic mansion only to have someone else fall on top of them. Someone who growled in annoyance and snapped open their eyes at the sudden disturbance. Someone who owned the rose garden and also the very same someone Sawada Tsunayoshi was dreading to meet._

 _Caramel brown eyes clashed with crimson red._

" _Trash."_

" _HIIE! Xanxus-san!"_

 _BANG!_

* * *

"VOI! WHAT'S THAT STUPID BOSS UPTO NOW!?" The white haired swordsman, Superbi Squalo roared at the sound of his boss's gun going off. "Does he plan to destroy the garden too!?"

"Mou~! Squ-chan. Calm down!" The man with too much flamboyance said as he patted the other. "Papa is just venting off his anger~!"

"VOI! Don't touch me Lussuria!" Squalo exclaimed as he slapped the man's hands away. "AND WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU CALLING 'PAPA'!?"

"You're stressed again. Mou~! If you-"

"OF COURSE I'M STRESSED! WE'RE ALL GOING TO FUCKING DIE IF HE DOESN'T ATTEMPT TO DO ANYTHING!"

"Ushishishi." The blond prince walked into the dining hall with his hands behind his head. "Does anyone know where that stupid frog ran off to?"

"Ah~! Bel-chan!" Lussuria clasped his hands as he whirled around to face Belphegor. "You're playing with Fran? How sweet of you! Look at that Squ! Being the oldest son you must behave well like Bel-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" The white haired swordsman flung the nearest object he could reach out to at the Sun Guardian. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE REFERRING TO AS THE OLDEST SON!?"

Bel just 'tsk-ed' and walked out of the room. He had better things to do like stab the frog and play with him rather than to watch another one of the usual quarrels that erupted even more frequently after a few nights ago. _That wretched night_.

"Die?" Bel's feral grin grew wider. "The prince has never heard anything more absurd then that. Hmm…will I be bathed in my own blood then?"

A movement from the corner of his eye caught his attention. The door in the far end of the corridor had just shut somewhat hurriedly. He twirled his intricately designed silver knife with his fingers as he leisurely walked towards the door. "Found you, stupid frog. I just _love_ hide and seek."

As the prince ran off to find his prey, the hooded female illusionist drifted into the dining hall with an irritated aura. She was in a bad mood these days. Even at the slightest provocation, she would lose her calm and destroy anything in her path. Of course, she was mad. Well, who won't be after being cursed a second time? And that too, a couple years right after her release from the first.

She simply walked through the two who were in a fight involving one flinging knives and spoons while swinging his sword and the other making futile attempts to dodge it.

"Oi." She snapped at the two when a spoon flew in her direction and hit her on the head.

The Rain and Sun Guardian felt chills run up their spines. They paused momentarily and turned their attention to the grumpy Mist Guardian.

"Voi. What is it?"

"Where is the lunch?" She emitted a nasty aura.

"Eh? Lunch?" The white haired swordsman tapped his finger on his chin as he wore a thoughtful expression. "Wasn't it served an hour ago?"

"What?"

The two guardians could literally see darkness seeping out from her.

The sudden tension between the three was cut off when their boss stomped into the room, a white bundle being hauled over his shoulder. The black haired man seemed pissed. Like those moments when he wasn't served the steak in the way he liked it.

"VOI BOSS! Why the hell are you throwing your tantrum in the-"

Squalo had been cut off abruptly when the crimson eyed man tossed the white bundle towards him. The white haired Rain Guardian immediately reached out and caught the bundle on pure reflex.

"Deal with that scum." The Varia boss said before stalking out of the room almost as unexpectedly as he had appeared.

"VOI! WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY…" The white haired swordsman froze midway as he got a proper look at the 'bundle' which had been entrusted to him. It was breathing and seemed to be unconscious. It looked just like someone he knew. Someone who was supposed to be the boss of the- "FUUUUCK!"

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi woke up a second time that day with another throbbing headache. This time she found herself lying on a bed. The pillow was so soft and the blankets that covered her were so warm. She closed her eyes again as she rubbed her face against the pillow. Everything seemed so peaceful.

 _Ah. I'll just go back to sleep. No one can disturb me now._ She smiled to herself. _Not even Reborn_.

But her eyes snapped open and she sat up in a split second. This was wrong. Her intuition was screaming like crazy at her. She wasn't supposed to be sleeping let alone be comfortably tucked inside the blankets in a room which was clearly not hers.

"What happened?" The brunette brought a hand up and placed it against her face as she tried to remember.

Then a sudden flash of angry crimson red eyes made her gasp.

"VARIA!" Tsuna yelled in horror.

The door opened and a familiar looking swordsman stepped into the room with a smirk. "Looks like you're finally awa-"

"What are you doing here!?" The caramel brown eyed girl squeaked.

Squalo's eyebrow twitched. "VOI! I'M THE ONE SUPPOSED TO BE ASKING THAT QUESTION!"

"Hiie!" She quickly brought up the blankets to cover her face. "I apologise!"

She had a genuine reason to be freaked out. It didn't matter whether they were under the Vongola. The Varia were still ruthless assassins. And the main reason why she wanted to disappear was because she won't be able to defend herself if any one of them attacked. She didn't have her gloves and pills with her, even her ring and Nat-su. She felt as though she had walked into a lion's den totally defenceless.

"So?"

The brunette lowered the blankets with a blank expression. "Eh?"

"Why THE FUCK are you here?" The white haired swordsman snapped. He wanted answers and he wanted them now.

"Eeks! Reborn sent me!"

"That man?" He narrowed his eyes as the Vongola Decimo nodded hurriedly. "Is it something to do with the c- argh!"

Squalo gripped his neck which felt as though it was burning. _Right. We can't tell anyone_.

"Squalo-san!" The brunette jumped out of the bed and rushed to the swordsman's side only to be stopped by his hand.

"Don't. I'm fine." He straightened his back and cleared his throat. "So…why did he send you here?"

Tsuna sweat-dropped. "Ehehe…so that I could…"

"HUH!? Speak up kid!"

"So that I could get to know the Varia better!"

An awkward silence filled the air as the two stared at each other, at loss for words.

 _Did I just yell that out?_ Tsuna felt like face-palming herself.

"Mou~!" The Varia's Sun Guardian popped his head inside the room. "She's finally awake! Good afternoon Tsuna-chan!"

"A-Ah." The brunette greeted the flamboyant man with uncertainty as she was ushered back to the bed by him. "Lussuria."

"Squ! How could you let her leave her bed?!" Lussuria admonished the swordsman as he made the Decimo sit down on the edge of the comfortable bed. "She's not fully recovered from fainting!"

"VOI! I DIDN'T EVEN DO ANYTHING!"

"Now now, the patient needs to rest!" Lussuria pushed the Rain Guardian out of the room. "Go and ask one of the maids to bring up something for her to eat, Squ-chan!"

The white haired Italian let loose a string of colourful insults as he went down the hallway. Promptly yelling at anyone who stepped in his way and ordering them to bring something for the _'sick girl'_ in the guest room.

Tsunayoshi sweat-dropped as she scratched the side of her face. "Ahaha…it's alright, Lussuria-san."

"No! Of course not!" The flamboyant man waved it away as he approached the bed. "You can call me 'Mama'! No need for my name!"

The brunette comically blanched on hearing the Varia's Sun Guardian's words. _M-Mama!?_

"Now now, Tsuna-chan. Reborn sent you here?" He asked as he pulled the blankets over the girl.

"Yeah." She replied. "He said something about getting to know the Varia better."

"Mou~!" Lussuria clasped his hands together. "Isn't that wonderful? You'll be staying over with us!"

"I-I guess it is?" _I seriously think NOT._

"Ah! Here's something for you to eat!" The flamboyant man exclaimed as a timid looking maid entered the room carrying a tray with a bowl of steaming soup and fresh bread.

The brunette blushed when her stomach made a growl. She was _very_ hungry afteral. She hadn't eaten anything since the morning, courtesy of her hitman tutor.

"Well. Eat up!" The Sun Guardian instructed. "The boss would like to see you soon after! The bath will be prepared for you in the meantime."

Tsuna paled. "X-Xanxus-san?"

"Yes." He nodded and blew a flying kiss at the Vongola Decimo. "I'll come and get you later~!"

 _Reborn. If I die, I'm coming back from the grave to get you first_.

* * *

"Vongola Decimo?" Viper, the hooded illusionist's ears perked up.

"Yes." The white haired swordsman nodded. "Apparently that hitman sent her."

"Hmm. Reborn?" Viper cocked her head to the side. "Could they have somehow caught wind of the curse even though we couldn't quite explain the whole situation?"

"That seems like the case." Squalo agreed. "Otherwise, they won't have just sent her by chance."

"Well…but the boss despises her…"

"That's the whole point of why I called you here." Squalo replied as he gestured to the meeting room where only the two of them were present.

"What do you expect me to do?" Viper sighed as she placed her cup of milk tea on the table. "Cast an illusion over her and make the boss presume that she's some other girl?"

"Yes well that was what-"

"It's not possible." The hooded woman cut off the man rudely.

"VOI! You haven't even tried!"

"The boss has witnessed far too many occasions when I've used my illusions." She shook her head. "He would easily see through it. And you'll have to pay me two years worth of salary from the S-class missions if you want me to do this."

 _Viper. Greed._

"Argh!" The woman clutched her head in pain as the fairy's words echoed in her head and the curse mark which had settled over her eyes burned.

"VOI! Are you alright!?" Squalo asked, suddenly alarmed. "Is it the curse!?"

She stood up. "I'm leaving. I need to go back to my room."

"Tch." The white haired swordsman watched the illusionist disappear from her spot and unconsciously rubbed his left shoulder where his curse mark was. "That damned fairy."

They had all figured out after that night that the so called fairy had placed marks on their bodies to signify that they were cursed. Not only that, the mark would burn whenever they carried out the actions according to which they had been cursed for. It was a great nuisance.

And moreover they couldn't go on missions. The Ninth had prohibited them from doing so to ensure their security so that none of their enemies would come to know and take advantage of their situation and more importantly, for the safety of his son. How the Vongola had gotten information of the curse was a mystery.

 _Speaking of which,_ Squalo activated the communication device in the meeting room. _I need a word with that hitman_.

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi stared at the clothes in front of her with a blank face. They were extravagant. No. That would be an understatement. They were _too eye (burning) catchy_.

After the warm bath, she was shoved into the dressing room. She had been practically blinded by all the bright colours of the items in the room. From shoes to bags to dresses to any other clothing. Everything was just so bright. And apparently, Lussuria had been the one who chose them _especially_ for her.

How he managed to get his hands on all these items just when she was still in the bath was a total mystery. And to top it off, they were all designer wear.

The brunette poked her head out of the dressing room. "Umm…can I get my own clothes? The one I wore earlier?"

The maid who was waiting for her outside gave her an apologetic smile. "Master Lussuria discarded them saying they were too bland."

Tsuna deadpanned. "Discarded?"

The maid nodded.

Tsuna sighed and shut the door. She turned to look at the vast room of clothes with a frown. "Well, at least there has to be something _normal_ somewhere here, I guess?"

* * *

Xanxus sat on his chair, a bottle of red wine in his hands. It was French and dated 1827. An exquisite and rare bottle, the chef had said. To him it wasn't anything great. It tasted so dry. There was nothing to savour in the drink. Nothing at all. And this made him angry.

He threw the bottle to the ground where it shattered into a million pieces, the red liquid leaking out in all directions from the broken shards of glass that once held it. The maids visibly cringed and the chef shook violently in his shoes.

"You _dare_ serve me such a tasteless drink?"

The crimson eyed man ignored the pain that emitted through his curse mark. He didn't care about such _bullshit_ anyway. He wouldn't die. He was a fighter and a survivor.

"VOI! BOSS!" His second in command barged into the room. "I've got some news from the-"

CRASH!

Xanxus threw the cup that was in his hands at the white haired swordsman. He found the man too loud and a pest at times too.

"VOI! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR!?"

"Shut up, scum."

"Mou~!" The Sun Guardian entered the room. "No fighting! We have a guest here with us~!"

The Varia's boss narrowed his eyes at the teenager who stepped out from behind his Sun Guardian. She looked up at him. Once more that day again, their eyes met.

The crimson eyed man's heart boiled with irritation and anger on seeing her. She looked so weak. So breakable. It annoyed him that this girl was the very same one who'd defeated him during the ring conflict a couple of years ago.

The curse mark throbbed with pain and this added to his rage. His old scars reappeared and he brought up his gun. _Weak trash like her must disappear_.

"HIIIIE!"

"FUCK!"

"TSUNA-CHAN!"

 _Xanxus. Wrath._

BANG!

And for a second time that day, he fired his gun at her.

* * *

 **A/N:** And I ended this chapter with a BANG! Again xD

The two haven't had much interaction, but these two chapters were sort of like introductory chapters? Sort of like a little explanation on the curse. They'll (hopefully) get more scenes together from the next chapter :')

And I really hope the Varia portrayal was up to the point :'D I'm really nervous about that (._.)/

 **Nekohana-** Thank you for your suggestion but I think I'll just stick with Tsuna's real name :') I do hope you liked this chapter xD

And yeah. Please do leave your opinions! It's really important and needed for me to proceed smoothly with this fic! xD I love you guys! Review ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale**

* * *

 **Summary:**

"Only true love can break the curse."

The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.

They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.

[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.

 **A/N:** First off, with just the second chapter you guys gave me 83 follows and 64 favourites! And not to forget, all those wonderful reviews too! THANK YOU SO MUCH! You guys just totally blew me away! (T^T)/

And now here's a ten paged chapter three! Enjoy ^^

Also, do note that with the Varia comes curse words :'3

* * *

3\. Independent will NOT dying will.

* * *

 _Previously,_

" _Mou~!" The Sun Guardian entered the room. "No fighting! We have a guest here with us~!"_

 _The Varia's boss narrowed his eyes at the teenager who stepped out from behind his Sun Guardian. She looked up at him. Once more that day again, their eyes met._

 _The crimson eyed man's heart boiled with irritation and anger on seeing her. She looked so weak. So breakable. It annoyed him that this girl was the very same one who'd defeated him during the ring conflict a couple of years ago._

 _His old scars reappeared and he brought up his gun. Weak trash like her must disappear._

" _HIIIIE!"_

" _FUCK!"_

" _TSUNA-CHAN!"_

 _Xanxus. Wrath._

 _BANG!_

 _And for a second time that day, he fired his gun at her._

* * *

"VOI!" Superbi Squalo waved his sword at the brunette who sat on the bed with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. "You will STAY here until one of us comes for you. Got it?"

Sawada Tsunayoshi nodded a little too quickly. After almost dissolving into ashes just a while ago, she wasn't too eager to step out of the guestroom now. If it hadn't been for the white haired swordsman who'd flung her out of the way in time, she won't even be under the blankets again. Let alone; sip the hot chocolate which Lussuria had provided since he believed it helped one to _"recover from traumatic experiences"_.

"And if you need anything, you press the bell and a maid will attend to you." Squalo said. "AM I UNDERSTOOD?"

She nodded again in reply since she was still too stunned to speak. _Reborn, you will die by my hands. This I promise._

Tsunayoshi stared at the dark chocolate drink for a long time after the assassin had left the room. Something was off. She wasn't quite sure about it but her intuition told her so. Xanxus getting pissed off by her presence was nothing unusual. But to the extent of firing his gun at her with an intention to kill? Now that clearly proved that something was wrong.

After finishing her drink, she placed the cup on the side table and decided to get some sleep. She was tired. A yawn escaped her lips as she snuggled underneath the warmth of the blankets. The mansion felt cold even though it was summer. It was another strange thing but she was too drowsy now to even think about it.

When she woke, this time she didn't wake up with a splitting headache. Rather, she woke up to the sweet smell of apples. She buried her face into the source of the smell with a sigh. Whatever it was, it tickled her and strangely enough it felt like- _hair!?_

The once half-awake brunette was now fully awake. Her eyes were wide open and she was greeted with the sight of teal coloured hair. She was out of the bed in a flash. It wasn't everyday that she woke up to someone next to her. Well, there was a time when Lambo would sneak into her room to do just that when he had nightmares but that was a long time back.

"…uhmm…" The sleeping figure mumbled. "…cold…"

Tsuna cautiously approached her bed and let out a sigh of relief. It was just a familiar kid who seemed to be around the same age as Lambo. She sat on the edge and picked up the blanket which had kicked off during her graceful exit off the bed, and placed it over him.

He looked so peaceful and calm. Not like an assassin or an illusionist that had trained under her Mist Guardian.

 _What was his name again?_ She wondered as she absentmindedly brushed back the strands of his hair that lay over his face.

She bit back a gasp when his eyes suddenly flew wide open at the contact. He blinked a couple of times as he steadied his focus. The boy yawned. "Nee-san. Please tell the fake prince I'm not around if he drops by."

"H-Huh?"

The boy then pulled the blanket over his head. Tsuna sweat-dropped when he released a small snore a few minutes later.

"What did he mean by-"

SLAM!

The brunette felt as though her lifespan had just been shortened by ten years when the door suddenly slammed open. She lifted her head up to see who had just intruded. _Please don't let it be Xanxus. Please-_ "Belpheghor-san?"

"Ushishishi." The blond tilted his head to the side. "So it was true when they said that the peasant had come."

"Eh?" Tsuna raised an eyebrow.

"Perhaps…to save us?"

"What do you mean?"

"Ushishishi. Have you seen that stupid frog?"

 _He just ignored my question._ She felt her eyebrow twitch. "F-Frog?"

"Ushishishi. Yes. The prince is looking for the frog." He nodded with that grin which unsettled her. "He ran away when I was playing with him. He doesn't seem to be in the places where he usually hides."

 _Frog? He? Oh. Does he mean this kid?_ Tsuna thoughtfully glanced at the sleeping bundle. She remembered the boy's request and sighed. She was ranked number one as the Mafioso who never denied a request by Fuuta for a reason. "I haven't seen this…frog you're talking about."

Bel hummed as he spun around and walked straight out. "I see."

Whether he did so on purpose or not, the brunette felt thankful that the teenager just chose to peacefully exit and not put on a show with his knives. He was pretty nasty with them to begin with.

"But if you do see him…" The blond prince paused before shutting the door closed. "Do tell him that he'll be the model for all of my knives the next time I run into him…ushishishi."

Tsuna gaped at the shut door. _What the heck-?_

"Nee-san." The brunette felt a tug at her sleeve. "Can you sing me a lullaby or tell me a story?"

"I thought you were sleeping." Tsuna deadpanned as she turned her attention back towards the young illusionist.

"I was…" The teal haired boy nodded with a serious look. "But the fake prince came and ruined it and now all I dream of are fake princes and pineapples and strawberries trying to eat me."

Sawada Tsunayoshi stared at the boy with an unreadable look as she tried to make out whether he was pulling her leg or something. With that monotonous voice and the straight face, she wasn't sure anymore.

She sighed. _My singing has barely improved so…_ "I-I'll try to tell you a story."

"Yay!" He exclaimed in a monotonous drawl. "I want to hear about 'Snow Apple and the Seven Pineapples'."

A book suddenly appeared in his hand as he handed it over to the surprised Decimo who took it. She resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose as she stared at the front cover of the book.

 _Why is Mukuro in there? No wait. What the hell is wrong with Xanxus's hair!? And the title of this story…I'm pretty sure this isn't the right one…_

Tsuna cleared her throat as she flipped open to the first page of the book which was definitely a creation using illusions. 'Cause the last time she checked, books normally didn't have pictures that moved. "Okay. Once upon a time in the land of…Varia…"

* * *

"…and so until the Vongola brats find the supposed fairy, the Decimo will be with us-VOI! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO THE REPORT, YOU FUCKING BOSS!?"

"Get. Out." Xanxus growled as his eyes snapped open.

"I will get out ONLY after I know that you've heard every fucking word I have to say!" Squalo's eyebrow twitched. "Think of this as another mission we-"

The white haired swordsman didn't have the adequate time to react as his hair was pulled roughly and his face brought close to the furious boss. The crimson eyed man did not look pleased. "GET. OUT. TRASH!"

Squalo landed with a crouch as he was thrown across the room and crash into a wooden table which broke at the impact. The swordsman stood and dusted himself before pointing his sword at his boss. "FINE! I'M GETTING OUT! AND SHE'S FUCKING STAYING HERE BY THE ORDER OF THE NONO!"

"If I ever see that trash again, she won't see the next day."

With those words, Squalo marched out of the room annoyed. Now he had to deal with a 24x7 enraged boss and ensure that the Decimo stayed in the mansion in one whole piece before she could return back to her family. This was not how he had imagined things to go on.

He ran his hand through his hair and froze. As he slowly lifted his hand off his head, he caught sight of strands of his long hair which had detached itself from its roots just with the slight contact. _This…t-this…HAIR FALL!?_

Lussuria had said something about this to him before. Hair fall was a common result of…stress. Stress. The word seemed to echo in his mind as he continued to stare at his hand with wide eyes.

"VOI! WHAT THE MOTHERFUCK!?"

* * *

Dinner was served rather early in her room since she had requested for it. She just wanted to wind up her day and go to sleep. Also, she wasn't keen to have a gun fired at her again. Two near death experiences in one day was more than enough for her.

After eating she resigned to bed but then, she realised a rather annoying fact. She couldn't close her eyes.

"I slept a lot earlier." Sawada Tsunayoshi groaned as she brought her hands to her face. "And now…I can't sleep."

The brunette got out of her bed and went towards the window. She peeped outside and found herself smiling as she admired the stars that hung above in the night sky. They reminded her of home. Namimori.

A feeling of loneliness crept into her. "Hah. It's barely even been a day and I'm missing home already. Even though it's quieter here…"

"VOI! THAT WAS MY STEAK!"

"…or not." She deadpanned as the white haired swordsman's voice echoed throughout the mansion. "They're probably having dinner."

The brunette walked around the room, carefully observing the layout since she hadn't had the time to do so earlier. Her hands traced around the walls as she openly admired the painted gold leaves on it that gave the room a rather enchanting exterior. The bookshelf caught her eye. There was an assortment of classics and they looked all too new from the lack of being read.

"…Frankenstein…" Tsuna muttered as she scanned through the books. They were all in English and though she couldn't properly read the language, she at least knew the basics of it. No thanks to a certain tutor.

She shuddered as she ran a finger across the spine of the gothic horror novel. This book had been the most memorable since her hitman tutor had made her read the whole thing aloud in just one day to test how much she had improved with the language. And for every mispronunciation…there were efficient dynamite to ensure it won't happen again.

Her eyes then shifted to the book that sat next to novel she was reminiscing over. ' _Jane Eyre'_ read the title. She pulled out the book out of mere curiosity and flipped through the pages and came across a certain page which had been marked with a bright colour. The brunette squinted as she slowly read out the highlighted section.

" _I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being, with an independent will._ " She found herself furiously nodding her head in agreement. "I agree with you Charlotte-san."

The brunette looked to her left and right before lifting up the book and pointing at the marked page. "Reborn! Do you see this? _Independent will_ NOT _dying will!_ "

Tsuna felt stupid. Of course her tutor wasn't around. If he was, he would've dramatically appeared long back. She sighed and put the book back to its former position. The girl then proceeded to scan the rest of the books to find something interesting.

Time had flown by as she did. This she was sure of because it had become much quieter. Surprisingly.

Her feet brought her towards the door and after much of a silent debate, she turned the handle. She poked her head out expecting someone to pop out and shove her back into the room. But the hallways were empty. There was no one in sight.

Tsuna experimentally stuck her foot out. She sighed. "What am I thinking? It's not like they placed some sort of barrier or something…"

She silently closed the door behind her, wincing as the sound echoed even though she did it carefully. Her heart was pounding. The brunette slapped her cheeks lightly. "Come on Tsuna! Stop being a coward. I just want to look around. Not like I'm committing a crime."

The Decimo slowly gained courage with every step she took. Her footsteps on the plush carpet were light and could barely even be heard unless one strained to hear it. Even her breathing had calmed down. The hallway as she observed, was lavishly furnished. Every now and then she came across paintings that hung on the walls. They were either portraits or sceneries.

There was a certain scenery which she found herself staring at. It reminded her strangely of the cherry blossom viewing festival back in Namimori. She nodded to herself as if in approval. "This is good."

In an attempt to find more paintings which gave her the feeling of home she ventured further, completely drawn in by her newly found task. So far she had come across a few paintings which pictured Mount Fuji, some important landmarks in Japan and the display of the exquisite cuisine.

"Lovely…" Tsuna muttered as she stopped in front of a painting that showed some Japanese castle. The girl rubbed her eyes which felt heavy. She smiled at the thought of tiredness coming back to her. _Now I can go back and sleep peacefully without-_

The brunette went stiff as a horrible truth dawned over her. She turned back and hurriedly tired to retrace her steps. She was now regretting that because she ended up being even lost. Tsuna stepped into a darker corridor with unease as she fastened her pace.

"Definitely not here…I don't even remember coming here…"

Suddenly, her hyper intuition flared alarmingly and she froze in her spot. Not a few seconds later, she heard a low growl which was definitely not human. Her eyes surveyed the darkness and were met with a pair of yellow orbs that seemed to grow closer.

She soon got a good look of the creature who was still growling as though warning her, saying that it was its territory she almost set foot into. The brunette sharply inhaled when she realised what she was dealing with. It was a feline. And a really big one too.

Moreover, the fact that it looked pretty hungry made her want to turn tail and run.

It wasn't reassuring at all. But running right now would be an even worse idea. She didn't want it to presume that this was a game and have it pounce on her. This whole situation felt like what had happened in the Namimori Zoo with the lions. She felt utterly helpless.

"G-Good kitty…" The brunette put her hands in front of her as she slowly edged backwards.

 _I'd rather a Reborn than a beast_. She found herself thinking. To her utter dismay, the big cat only stepped forward whenever she took a step back. _So much for keeping a distance between us_.

The big cat was white with black stripes. It looked like a lion but a tiger at the same time and gave off a familiar feeling to the girl. _Sky flames?_

Her eyes widened with realisation when she finally understood what she was really dealing with. Of course the Varia wouldn't just let some beast roam free in its mansion. Even if it was for security there was a great risk of having its own members being attacked. No. This was a box weapon. And she knew exactly who the owner was.

"B-Bester?" Tsuna called out trying to sound brave but failing drastically. She knew that it could probably already smell her fear.

The liger narrowed its eyes when she'd called out its name and released a small growl. It crouched a little and that was when Tsuna knew things were going to go terribly wrong. She knew that stance. It was the same posture her box weapon Nat-su would take on before playfully pouncing on her. Before she could even react, it pounced.

She squeaked and shut her eyes waiting for her demise. _How hilarious. And here, I thought I would end up dying in the hands of the Mafia._

The brunette waited for the pain. She waited for the feeling of the sharp claws digging into her flesh. But strangely, she felt nothing. Tsuna opened an eye and almost suffered a cardiac arrest when she spotted the liger so close to her, staring at her with utmost interest. It bowed its head and rubbed it against her still outstretched hand.

Sawada Tsunayoshi stared aghast as it began to purr. _Wasn't it going to kill me just a while ago?_

She ran her fingers through its surprisingly soft and fluffy fur. It felt so…pleasant. The cat seemed pleased with her actions and continued to purr louder.

"Good kitty." Tsuna smiled to herself with pride at being able to pet a fearsome creature without being mauled to death first. "Reborn should see this. I totally handled you without my pills or a bullet to my head."

The cat pushed its head more against her hand causing her to stumble back a little. She laughed at its feat and stroked its fur with her two hands. Tsuna leaned in and buried her face into its fur with its sigh. Sure she was getting carried away but it wasn't like this was something bad. _Right?_

"Bester."

The brunette abruptly broke away from the liger when she heard an all too familiar husky voice echo through the corridors. Her heart beat began to race. Bester however seemed oblivious to its master's calling and growled at the girl when she stopped stroking it,

"I'm sorry. But you have to go now!" Tsuna whispered as she frantically attempted to push the cat away from her. "He's coming this way and honestly, I don't want to die right now!"

"Bester."

The voice of the Varia's boss grew closer. The Decimo could already hear his footsteps. He seemed to be looking for his liger which was currently too preoccupied with the female he purely detested. Tsuna gulped. This wasn't good. She should have just stayed in her room. Now, she was truly regretting the fact that she hadn't listened to Squalo's instruction.

" _VOI! You will STAY here until one of us comes for you. Got it?"_

The white haired swordsman's words replayed in her mind.

Tsuna pushed the liger away from her with all the strength she could muster. It growled furiously and pushed back. Right now, she didn't care of the possibilities of being attack by the beast. Instead, she was solely focused on getting away from the man who would most possibly give her a more gruesome death than the big cat.

 _It's now or never!_ She told herself as she gave up trying to convince the cat and turned around, ready to break into a run. The Decimo had suddenly gotten a boost of courage. "My Vongola ancestors are with me!"

" _You."_

The brunette hadn't even taken a step forward when the voice she dreaded to hear called out to her. She already had comical tears flowing down her cheeks as she slowly turned back. _My Vongola ancestors have abandoned me…_

Tsuna did an inhumanly ninety degree bow, not daring to look at the Varia Boss. "I'm SO sorry! I didn't mean to be of any disturbance! I just wanted to look at the painting on the walls and I ran into Bester and I totally meant to go back to my room but Bester won't let me go and-"

"Shut up."

"HIEE! I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to annoy you!"

The liger edged towards her and rubbed its face against her. It began purring contentedly again. Tsuna didn't know how worse things could turn out. _It's totally ignoring Xanxus!_

"Get out of my sight you piece of _fucking_ trash."

The brunette didn't know whether she was just plain lucky or whether the ancestors of the Vongola had really saved her as she heard the sound of his footsteps as he walked away. She lifted her head up and stared at his retreating back with surprise.

"U-Umm. Xanxus-san?" She squeaked.

The man stopped in his tracks, shockingly waiting for her to continue speaking.

Tsuna gulped. "C-Can you tell me the way back to the guest room? I-I seemed to have lost my way…"

"Huh?" The black haired man tilted his head back a little, his crimson red eyes narrowing at her as he angrily snapped at the girl.

"HIEE! It's nothing!" She inwardly cried as his glare made her legs wobbly.

"Tch." He muttered as he continued walking. "Trash."

The girl heaved a sigh of relief once he had fully disappeared from sight. She faced the still purring liger that did not leave along with its master. She patted its head. "You don't supposedly know where the guest room is right?"

Bester grunted in response and the brunette rolled her eyes at it. She looked behind her with a frown. _Maybe I'll just follow this path…_

The feline's sudden growl made her jump a little as she snapped her head to face it. Tsuna never felt happier when she found a Varia member approaching the duo as he eyed the liger warily. The brunette soothed the beast with assuring words before flashing a bright smile at the male who averted his eyes away with a small blush.

"I-I've come to lead you back to the guest room." The brown haired male cleared his throat as he looked anywhere but at her.

"Thank you so much!" Tsuna only smiled brighter, totally oblivious of what it was doing to the man.

"It's n-nothing. Master Xanxus told me to."

"Xanxus-san?" The Decimo's eyes widened.

The man nodded in response. "Yes. It's this way."

The brunette silently followed the man with Bester who didn't seem to leave her side, trailing after her. A small smile graced her lips as she remembered her guide's words. _I should thank him the next time we meet_.

* * *

Xanxus couldn't believe the brat had just ordered him. He scoffed as he remembered her words. It was a pity that he didn't have his guns with him or he would have gotten rid of her there and then.

The brunette had said she was lost. The Varia boss smirked. He hoped she would remain lost and die of starvation in some corner. That would be nice. But his thought was interrupted by what his Rain Guardian would do. He could almost hear the white haired swordsman yelling his ear off about letting her lose her way.

A frown appeared on his face not too long after. "That damned brat just had to get lost."

Xanxus continued walking with irritation. A door opened a member of the Varia stepped out with a yawn as the brown haired male stretched his hands. He turned around and jumped at the sight of his boss. The male immediately saluted the crimson eyed man with shaking hands.

" _You will take the Vongola brat back to her room_." Xanxus growled in Italian as he picked the unfortunate male off the ground by his shirt front. " _She's down the hallway_."

"YESSSS SIR!" The brown haired male squeaked as he was let down before taking off in a rush.

The Varia Boss swiftly walked off to his bedroom. He really felt the need for tequila right now. And a whole crate of it.

* * *

 **A/N:** How did you like it? Loved it? Hated it? It was okay perhaps? :'3

DO LEAVE YOUR REVIEWS! ^^

 **Natsu Yuuki** – Well, I just needed a year for the bottle of wine so I went all "Hey why not 1827?" so I put that in for fun. Xanxus just hates the taste of the wine. Probably :'3

 **Nekohana** – The others as you've read in this chapter weren't fully aware of her arrival. And you've also seen here that Squalo DID save her. They'll all slowly warm up to her. Probably xD "Why Tsuna?" and "Who's the fairy?" the answers to those questions will be slowly revealed soon :')

Thanks for your reviews! I enjoy reading them A LOT! :'D


	4. Chapter 4

**Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale**

* * *

 **Summary:**

"Only true love can break the curse."

The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.

They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.

[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.

* * *

4\. Breakfast the Varia way.

* * *

 _Previously,_

 _A frown appeared on his face not too long after. "That damned brat just had to get lost."_

 _Xanxus continued walking with irritation. A door opened a member of the Varia stepped out with a yawn as the brown haired male stretched his hands. He turned around and jumped at the sight of his boss. The male immediately saluted the crimson eyed man with shaking hands._

" _You will take the Vongola brat back to her room." Xanxus growled in Italian as he picked the unfortunate male off the ground by his shirt front. "She's down the hallway."_

" _YESSSS SIR!" The brown haired male squeaked as he was let down before taking off in a rush._

 _The Varia Boss swiftly walked off to his bedroom. He really felt the need for tequila right now. And a whole crate of it._

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi was starting to think that she would never be able to wake up like a normal person as long as she stayed in the Varia mansion. The reason why was just simple.

She had woken up to the sound of someone clapping. But of course, that wasn't the reason why.

Her mind still being half asleep, the brunette frowned and instead chose to cuddle up to the warmth that lay next to her. She exhaled in contentment as she buried her head into the warm… _fur_.

Then like every other time when her brain processed what wasn't normal, her eyes flew open at the sudden realisation that she had rubbed her face against ' _fur_ '. As far as she was concerned, Nat-su was not huge and this warm. And she wasn't in the Vongola mansion. And that monotonous voice that didn't seem to be shutting up any sooner belonged to someone rather familiar.

"Wow. Nee-san slept next to the boss's beast and she's still alive. Amazing."

Someone who belonged to the…

"VARIA!" The brunette exclaimed as she sat upright in the blur of the eye.

Her sleep was so peaceful that her mind had erased this certain memory of her being _trapped_ in the confines of the residence belonging to the Vongola's independent assassination squad.

 _I can't believe I forgot about that!_ Her mind screamed. The brunette's horrified look was replaced with one of thoughtfulness, as though she was trying to remember something but was failing to. She turned to face the teal haired illusionist. "What did you mean by…-eep!"

Tsuna's eyes had fallen on what was emitting so much warmth next to her as she spoke, leading her to squeak before she could complete her sentence. It was a huge feline with white fur and black stripes on it, a liger to be exact. And to be even more specific, a box weapon which belonged to the one and only man of this planet who probably wanted her dead more than anyone else in the entire universe. Parallel worlds included.

The creature growled in its sleep and this shut the girl up for she had the feeling that if it was woken up, she would be in deep trouble, possibly that of turning into the first morning meal of the majestic beast.

However though, the teal haired boy didn't seem to get that fact through his brain. A part of Tsuna knew he was just doing it intentionally while the other part told her that he was ' _just a kid_ '. But of course, he was more than a kid to have already joined the Varia. "Wow. That's so awesome. Amazing."

She could have sworn he was getting louder with each word that was uttered out from his mouth. The brunette knew she had to do something to stop him. Regrettably, her brain didn't seem to have any ideas. "Shh. What are you even doing here?"

"I have _humbly_ come here on behalf of the Varia to escort you to breakfast." He blinked.

Tsuna felt her eyebrow twitch. He was _definitely_ growing louder with each sentence. "You sure it isn't to make me into Bester's breakfast?"

"Oh my." Fran faked a monotonous-if it even existed- gasp and the brunette froze when the beast stirred. "Why would I?"

"Okay!" She whispered hastily as she hand gestured him to leave the room. "You wait outside. Just give me a minute to change!"

"But the long-haired dumbass commander said that-"

"I don't care who said what!" Tsuna squeaked when her hyper-intuition flared and she jumped out of bed. She pushed the young illusionist out of the room, not caring about being rude at that moment. "OUT!"

SLAM!

Rather cautiously, she turned around and almost melted when she found the liger staring at her with its cold golden eyes. She gulped and waited for the worst. However, the beast just gave a big yawn and shut its eyes again. Tsuna heaved a sigh of relief before grabbing a set of ' _normal_ ' clothes and heading into the bathroom to change.

Meanwhile outside the room, Fran stared at the door which had been shut on his face and blinked a couple of times as though processing what had just happened. He nodded his head to himself as though in sympathy. "Ah. Maybe it's that time of the month. No wonder she's so grumpy."

* * *

When Tsuna stepped into the dining hall, everyone had turned to stare at her. But she wasn't paying any attention to that. In fact, the first person she looked out for was Xanxus. To her utter relief, his chair was empty. She hoped that he had already eaten or was in the process of eating his breakfast in his bedroom.

"G-Good morning." The brunette greeted them with a smile. She was afteral, needed to get to know the Varia properly. She had to begin her _mission_ at the earliest; the sooner she got out of this place the better.

"Mou~!" The flamboyant Sun Guardian was the first to return her greeting. "Good morning Tsuna-chan~!"

Squalo frowned. "What took you so long, brat?"

"I…uhm…" Tsuna mumbled as she wrecked her brain for a reply. She couldn't just tell them that their boss's box weapon held them up now would she?

Thankfully, though unfortunately, Fran had answered for the Decimo.

"It's _that time_ of the month for her, dum- commander."

The room fell into dead silence again and Tsuna felt herself grow a shade of tomato red. "Wha-?"

"Are you having cramps? Would you like some medi-"

"I'm totally fine. I-"

"-cine? Or did you take so long because you haven't any sanitary pa-"

"ENOUGH!" The brunette exclaimed with much authority, cutting off the flamboyant man immediately. She was in a room where the majority of its occupants were male for crying out loud!

Not waiting for anyone to say anything, the girl marched towards the table and sunk unto an empty seat, which happened to be next to the Rain Guardian because she didn't want to sit anywhere near the knife wielder or the ominous cloaked illusionist or the man with the fancy beard who was busy glaring at her or any of the other guardians. All except for Squalo, probably since he had saved her once and was possibly the sole reason why she hadn't been killed by their boss yet.

Also, the seat next to Squalo was the only empty one available at the table.

The maids rushed in with the brunette's breakfast which comprised of. A classic Italian breakfast. It smelled delicious and it was only then that Tsuna actually realised how hungry she was. She was grateful that her stomach's growls weren't loud enough to be heard this time.

" _Thank you_." She said in Italian as she gave the maids a sincere smile. They nodded and left the brunette's side with stunned expressions since those very words were hardly ever heard in the Varia.

"Thank you for the meal." Tsuna muttered under her breath as she picked up the spoon and fork.

Breakfast with the Varia was ensured never to be a quiet and peaceful one. There was far too much bickering, it actually reminded her of the times she ate with her guardians. Back in the Vongola mansion, it would always start with Lambo stealing someone's share of breakfast and then further escalate into a disaster topped with grenades, the ten-year bazooka and Bianchi's poison cooking somehow finding its way to the table.

Not to forget Gokudera's dynamites in an explosives' showdown with the young Lightning Guardian. Tsuna never remembered a decent breakfast or any other meal with no drama ever since Reborn had popped into her life a couple of years ago.

Right now, the Varia's Storm was busy claiming all the fine croissants from everyone's plates in an incomprehensible speed. His reason wasn't what the brunette would even consider a _reason_. "Because _I_ am a _Prince_."

"A fake self-proclaimed one." Fran said with his mouth full of what he could save of his breakfast.

"Ushishishi." Bel turned to face the young illusionist with his signature smile, a knife magically appearing at the tip of his finger. "What did you say, _frog_?"

"Mou~!" Lussuria exclaimed with a look of disapproval. "No fighting at the table! Squalo! Teach your younger brothers-"

"VOI! I'M NOT FUCKING RELATED TO ANY OF THE ASSHOLES HERE!" The white haired swordsman slammed his fist on the table, sending the bottle of champagne crashing over to Levi.

"That was meant for the boss!" The Lightning Guardian stood up with much furiousness as he turned on to Tsuna with a glare.

The Decimo who was in the process of putting a spoon of the cold porridge into her mouth blinked in confusion at the man who looked ready to kill her. _Wait…what!? What did I do!?_

And then it erupted. Varia's classic food fight which involved knives and punches flying around along with the food which wasn't spared. Viper had chosen to gracefully exit sometime before the fight got on to a whole new level where Tsuna found herself hiding behind a huge clay flower pot in an attempt to avoid being hit.

The brunette had her hands on her head as she chanted out about her early death, comical tears flowing down her cheeks. This would have been another matter if it Reborn had left her pills and gloves with her. She wouldn't be hiding like a coward if he had. _That damned hitman!_

CRASH!

"HIEEE!" She yelped when the pot crashed into a million pieces due to the weight of Lussuria who had been flung by Squalo in the direction where Tsuna had been hiding.

The Sun Guardian was out cold and the next person likely to go down would be the brunette due to her unfortunate position of being under the direct sight of those who had their heads much too into the fight and the fact that she was defenceless.

As though sensing her helplessness, Levi turned around and locked eyes with her. The female gulped at the fact that the man looked so murderous and she was most likely the reason why. She whimpered. "But what did I ever do!?"

But before he could even send the cup in his hands at her, the door to the dining hall suddenly flung open with a loud bang.

A frightening roar which had everyone's hairs standing erupted as the majestic liger leaped into the scene as though sensing the female's distress. The snarl of the beast was so threatening and loud that even the Sun Guardian had been revived from his state of unconsciousness in an instant and was seen crawling away from the brunette's side to a safer corner.

All the occupants in the room watched warily as the box weapon approached Sawada Tsunayoshi and sniffed her, making sure that she was alright. Then Bester turned around, blocking the girl from view as it bared it's fangs at the Varia as though threatening any of them to step forward and attack her.

"V-Voi." Squalo sweat-dropped, he was having a hard time really accepting the scene before his eyes. "What the hell is the meaning of this?"

"Wow." Fran clapped his hands. "Amazing! First, boss's beast keeps watch over her when she was asleep and now protects her. Nee-chan, what makes you so awesome?"

"Ushishishi." The prince cocked his head to the side. "Now this is something one does not come across every day."

"B-Bester! How could you betray the boss!?" Levi exclaimed, looking aghast and receiving a deep growl as though a warning.

Lussuria gaped openly from his spot on the ground. "Tsu-chan! Are you hurt!?"

The Decimo was still in a daze. She herself couldn't believe what was actually happening. Why was Xanxus's box weapon protecting her? Shouldn't it hate her like how Varia's boss did too?

And as though the unexpected appearance of the ferocious beast wasn't enough, its master strolled in through the doors looking half-awake and grumpy. If he had come for breakfast, he wouldn't find any and that would only worsen his already bad mood. The aura that leaked out of him was really dark which indicated that this was one of the mornings when he didn't wake up pleasantly, which was unsurprisingly almost every day.

Xanxus plopped down on his chair which was the only piece of furniture that hadn't been used as some sort of weapon during the fight. He set his feet up on the table and crossed his arms before shutting his eyes.

CREAK.

Everyone present gulped down hard as the table seemed to be slowly giving away to the extra weight after all the damage it had bore from the 'food fights' these past two weeks.

The white haired commander was already calculating the repair cost for the damage if the boss whipped out his deadly guns. He made a mental note to cut a little amount from everyone's pays even though Viper would disapprove. It wasn't like money grew on trees anyway. And seven thousand Euros wasn't a big thing either for men like them.

CREAK.

The blond prince laughed nervously as he edged a little towards the shadows without actually noticing that he did. Fran picked the wisest decision ever in his life by not saying anything and preparing an illusion plan in his mind to escape if things got out of hand. They knew an angry boss was a terribly frightening one.

 _CREAK_.

Levi stood unwavering in his spot. His main purpose in life was to serve his boss. He would strive to do just that and would not run away like a coward. _Come what may_. The flamboyant Sun Guardian struggled to stand. Being in a disadvantaged position was not the best thing especially when they were so sure the boss would lose his temper.

 _C-REA-K_.

Sawada Tsunayoshi bit back her gasp. The table would break any moment soon and from all the reactions of the black haired man's Guardians, so would his temper which was hanging by a thin thread. This time it would be a real death for her if he pulled out his guns. She furrowed her brows; there was something she could at least do to save herself… _right?_

When the table gave what sounded like its final cry to signify the end if its years of serving as a grand oak tree which stood tall among all its companions before the Italian furniture company came along and decided to use it to produce this fine dining table, the brunette reacted.

"Xanxus-san!"

Now every eye in the room was on her. It was so quiet. Too quiet that one would be able to hear the petal of the purple hydrangeas fall. All the Guardians present had their personal thoughts for her 'bravery' as some termed it and 'stupidity' as others termed it at that moment. Even the French cook who was busy stirring up something for the cranky Varia Boss almost tipped a tad too much salt into his preparation in shock that she just addressed him so boldly.

The once shut eyes of the true beast in the form of a human languidly opened and landed on her, hardening like steel as it did. He didn't say anything. It was a sign that said she could go on with the reason why she called out to him so loudly as though he was deaf.

"T-Thank you!" Tsuna exclaimed as she bent down so low, her head almost touched the floor; the deepest sign of respect in the Japanese culture. "Thank you for helping me find my way back to my room last night!"

The heads of the rest of the occupants in the room swivelled to Xanxus, waiting for his reply as they watched on as though this was a soap opera. Even the maids who were always afraid of the Varia's Boss popped in their head through the door leading into the kitchen with expectations. This made the brunette sweat-drop at their actions.

Xanxus blinked as though he was… _surprised_?

He swung his legs down with astonishing elegance and stood up, his eyes still on her. The black haired man kicked his heavy chair to the ground effortlessly with a loud bang which sent the maids squirming back into the farthest corner of the kitchen.

"Shut the _fuck_ up. I don't want to see your face."

Tsuna comically blanched as she watched the Varia Boss exit the room with long elegant strides. He shut the door with a loud bang which snapped everyone back to reality and once more that day, she became the centre of everyone's attention.

"…" Levi stared at her as though assessing a critical mission. He looked like he was viewing her as competition. _Competition to what?_ The brunette fought a tired sigh as she turned away only to realise she was under the scrutiny of the rest of the Guardians.

"Umm…" She fidgeted under their strong gazes. Tsuna was actually quite willing to have a stare down with Hibari right now than be stared at by them. "Is there a second breakfast by any chance?"

"Tsu-chan! Are you still hungry?" Lussuria asked with his hands clasped.

"I didn't exactly even get to swallow three spoons of my porridge…"

"I'll ask the maids to-"

"VOI!" Squalo suddenly exclaimed as he marched up to Tsuna and grabbed her by the arm. "You're coming with me you trash!"

"E-Eh?" The brunette's eyes grew wide in surprise.

"I will train you, fucking brat!"

"EHHHH!?"

* * *

 **A/N:** I took some time with this chapter…more like my own sweet time xD So how did you guys like it? Any grammatical errors? Any characters being off character? Please do point it out for me :D

Reviews are LOVE! ^^

And a big thanks to all for the favourites and follows :') I hope you people enjoyed this chapter :'3

Oh and yesssss! Leave your opinions on what you want to see next or somewhere in the near future. Those stuff will get me out of writer blocks and I'll be able to give you people faster updates xD

I LOVE YOU ALL! :')


	5. Chapter 5

**Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale**

* * *

 **Summary:**

"Only true love can break the curse."

The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.

They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.

[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.

* * *

5\. Training.

* * *

 _Previously,_

" _Umm…" She fidgeted under their strong gazes. Tsuna was actually quite willing to have a stare down with Hibari right now than be stared at by them. "Is there a second breakfast by any chance?"_

" _Tsu-chan! Are you still hungry?" Lussuria asked with his hands clasped._

" _I didn't exactly even get to swallow three spoons of my porridge…"_

" _I'll ask the maids to-"_

" _VOI!" Squalo suddenly exclaimed as he marched up to Tsuna and grabbed her by the arm. "You're coming with me you trashy brat!"_

" _E-Eh?" The brunette's eyes grew wide in surprise._

" _I will train you, fucking brat!"_

" _EHHHH!?"_

* * *

"VOI! DON'T SLACK AROUND TRASH!"

Sawada Tsunayoshi merely winced at the sudden yell from her instructor. Surprised? Had it been five days back she would be exclaiming in fright but well, that _was_ five days ago. She had spent all of those ( _horrifying)_ days in the presence of the Rain Guardian. All of it, except for bed-time, visits to the toilet and the bath. And the time spent with him was enough to make her get used to his violent and foul-mouthed presence.

The brunette picked herself off the couch and placed the book she was reading on it. She then turned towards the white haired swordsman with a rather tired look. "Where to?"

She knew it wasn't a good idea trying to talk him out of the apparent "training" he was giving her. One question regarding it and she would be swimming away from sharks _again_. That unfortunate day was the first and possibly the last time she would ever question his actions.

"The South Block." He nods in approval. She bit back her tired sigh. This was going to be another tough training. Hopefully, it wouldn't drain her energy like the others since the South Block held one of the gardens in the Varia abode and Squalo wouldn't dare bring harm upon what belonged to his boss. _Right?_

Her first day of training had totally taxed every bit of her energy. The white haired commander had gone all out on a fist to fist spar with her. Or should she say fist and sword spar since his left hand had been replaced with a sword?

The female had to take him head on with none of her weapons on her. It started off with her ducking for cover wherever possible but after the surrounding of trees –where he had dragged her off to train- were all sliced off, she had no other option but to face him. Yes she could activate her HDWM without her gloves and pills too, but she was still under training to get that part right. It wasn't a surprise that it had lasted for just two minutes before she reverted back to her normal self.

She was then, promptly knocked out cold by the blow that came from above by Squalo's sword. The brunette was relieved that she hadn't sustained a concussion or worse, suffered a case of amnesia. All the hits and blows from Reborn seemed to have transformed her head into something much more than a normal person's. It was reassuring as well as disturbing at the same time to know about her naturally armoured head.

Sadly though, she didn't get to sleep throughout that day since the moment her eyes opened, she was dragged out for another spar.

The next four days were a nightmare. Her lack of sleep due to the routine the white haired swordsman had put up for her only contributed to her loss of energy. She always ended up blacking out into dreamland the moment her head hit the pillow in the past four nights. It was terrible.

Today was also an unfortunate day; she was dragged out of bed at two am and taken to the training room belonging to the Varia recruits. There she was made to run on the mill for twenty kilometres before she was sent back to bed again only to be woken up at five for a morning run outside the Varia compound. And mind you, it is a _huge_ compound.

 _At least I got to rest for an hour after breakfast_. She sighed. _But I still don't understand why Squalo-san is training me._

And she wasn't keen on asking him again.

Tsuna trudged on through the hallways, sending small but warm smiles to the people she past while being totally oblivious to what it was doing to them. They all hurriedly walked away hoping she hadn't caught sight of their tinted cheeks.

On her way, she came across a familiar cloaked woman who was staggering along the path. Tsuna, on pure instinct, reached out and grabbed the woman who lost her balance. The brunette realised that the illusionist was muttering something about her bank accounts and it only seemed to worsen her condition.

"AAAARGH!" The illusionist gasped in pain as both her hands flew up to clutch the sides of her head.

"Viper-san!" Tsuna exclaimed in total loss of what she should do in this situation.

"The money…my money…" Viper croaked. "…lost…my money…"

Something told the brunette that it was the thought of money which was inflicting so much pain to the illusionist. "Viper-san, you have to stop thinking about it!"

"It's all gone…" The Varia's Mist began breathing faster. "…gone…"

The Decimo shook her head. This wasn't going to work. She had to do something and she had to do it fast. Tsuna recalled a lesson which Reborn had given her on pressure points. Her hand found its way around the older female's neck, searching for the correct spot. On finding it, the brunette applied the right amount of pressure on it and knocked the illusionist out.

She sighed as she scooped the female into her arms. Surprisingly, Viper wasn't very heavy. To her relief she spotted two Varia recruits heading in her direction. She turned to them with a rather grateful smile. "Can one of you tell Commander Squalo that I'll be delayed a bit? He'll be in the South Block. And can you show me the way to Viper-san's room?"

They nodded with surprising amount of respect which made Tsuna seem as though she was a Varia squad leader, and that made her feel awkward. The one with the piercings ran off in the direction where they had just come from while the other dutifully stepped in front of her.

"This way miss."

Those who joined the Varia were supposed to know a minimum of seven languages so it was of no surprise that the members knew Japanese too. She was quite thankful for that since she wasn't very much fluent in Italian. She was still learning how to get rid of the Japanese accent which stuck on whenever she spoke the other language.

The girl was somehow grateful that the woman hadn't fought back with her illusions when Tsuna looked for the pressure point on her neck. If Viper had done so, Tsuna would have been in no position to face them. Her lunch was all that was keeping her alive right now. She was betting on the fact that the next training routine would send her into another dreamless sleep pretty soon.

"Ushishishi." A familiar laughter rang throughout the quiet hallway. "What's this?"

"P-Prince Belphegor!" The Varia recruit who was leading the way shivered at the sight of the blond who was as usual, twirling a knife at the tip of his finger.

Tsuna noticing the uneasiness of her guide dismissed him with a ' _Thank you_ ' and then turned to the Storm Guardian. "She collapsed. I was searching for her room to place her to bed."

She made no mention of the exact condition of how she had found the illusionist. Probably because she thought the older woman would have preferred to let it remain between them. The Mist Guardian was afteral in such a pathetic condition when the brunette had caught her before she hit the ground.

Bel cocked his head to the side as though he was assessing her but she wasn't quite sure since his bangs covered his eyes. They stood in silence for a few moments before he finally spoke. "The second last room at the end of this hallway."

"Thank you." Tsuna nodded.

She had expected the assassin to head off to somewhere else after giving the direction. That was the reason why when the door was opened for her by someone from behind she spun around in surprise and was greeted by the prince's maniacal trademark grin.

The brunette nodded hesitantly in acknowledgement before going in. The room was huge and dark courtesy of the French windows being draped with heavy curtains which completely blocked the afternoon sun's rays from coming in. Purple flames from the corners of the room immediately lit up the moment they stepped in.

The smell of incense was what the room smelled of. It was heavy and somewhat calming. Though the bedroom was big, it barely had any furniture in it. There was a shelf on one side filled with books whose spines had rather ominous writings on them and a large table on the other side with an open book and scattered papers. _A research work?_

Tsuna involuntarily shivered when she spotted the woman's bed in the corner. There were black roses and candles but her main concentration was on the skulls sitting on the headrest. She had a feeling they weren't just decoration pieces but _actual_ human skulls. And she didn't want to know where they had come from.

To her surprise, Bel actually helped her set Viper on the bed. He gently pulled the blankets over the woman and made sure her head was properly placed on the pillow.

"Did she mention anything?" He asked, sounding a little grim. Tsuna found this weird since she was used to the 24x7 grinning prince. "I know she wouldn't have just collapsed."

The brunette gulped. Was he gonna skewer her for lying? She hoped not. "She mentioned something about her money. About them being lost, I think?"

Bel sighed. _Actually_ sighed. Sawada was having a hard time accepting this different version of the prince before her. Did he actually… _care_?

"We're all going to die someday." He turned to her, his grin wiped clean off his face. "But our time is closer."

With those words he strode out of the room. Tsuna was left puzzled with what he had just said. Was it a riddle? She was never good with those. They were a headache for her to crack and so she never bothered. But he sounded like he was trying to pass on a message to her; his tone almost seemed urgent. _But why?_

"Oh." The blond prince poked his head back into the room.

 _Looks like that disturbing smile is back_. Tsuna stared at him. "Yes?"

"Watch out for the zombies." He said in a sing-song voice before he disappeared again with his laughter filling the eerily quiet room.

The brunette tilted her head to the side with a questioning look. "Huh? Zombies?"

As if on cue, she heard the sound of something shuffling behind her. The girl didn't even bother to look behind to see what it was. Instead she bolted out of the room with a shriek and shut the door with a loud slam. Her hands had goose bumps on them and her hair was standing. The brunette walked away as quickly as she could, hoping that would be the last time she would have to visit that room.

The Decimo broke off into a run. She would be very late if she didn't do so. And her newest tutor didn't like tardy behaviour. Yes she did send someone to inform him that she would be running late but even so, she needed to get there as quickly as she could.

On the way she passed the Lightning Guardian who seemed to be looking for someone or something. He gave her his signature glare which made her sweat-drop at the sight of it but she carried on anyway. She also passed Lussuria who had an apron on and a blood coated knife in his hands as he headed off to the kitchen with a dreamy smile.

 _Is he cooking dinner!?_ Tsuna stared, horrified.

After a few more minutes of running, she reached the doors to the gardens gasping for breath. Her hand pushed open the door and she dragged herself in, only to collide into someone.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Tsuna bowed profusely in apology. "I had to take Viper-san back to her room and so I'm a little delayed BUT I did get here as fast as I-"

"Stop talking you piece of trash."

"-eh?" The brunette raised her head and almost suffered from a cardiac arrest.

Instead of the Rain Guardian she thought she was speaking to, she found herself staring at the Boss of the Varia. And from the look of it, he didn't seem pleased to see her or have her bump into him. "HIEEE! Xanxus-san!"

"VOI!" The white haired swordsman roared. "What the fuck took you so long!? Did you get lost again!?"

Tsuna felt relief wash over her as she unconsciously edged towards the Rain Guardian. This move was brushed off by the man but however, didn't seem to go unnoticed by the black haired man who narrowed his eyes at the action.

"Squalo-san!" She exclaimed before a frown replaced her look of relief. "Didn't one of the Varia recruits come and tell you that I would be a little delayed?"

"The fuck are you doing ordering the Varia around?" Squalo growled.

Tsuna sweat-dropped. "I'm guessing he-"

The door suddenly opened and Tsuna stepped to the side before she could be hit. Her expression fell into a deadpan as she recognised the person who had just come as the very same recruit she had asked to tell Squalo about her delay. _And why is he holding a plate of steak!?_

"Boss! The Italian styled medium rare roasted steak made with the imported olive oil from Spain and flavoured with the spices from India, just as you asked for!" The piercings dude squeaked as he held out the tray with the plate of steak before him.

Realisation dawned upon the brunette who shut her eyes and sighed. The recruit must have come across Xanxus on his way and sent off to fulfil the Boss's desire to procure the food. Xanxus sure was a picky eater; she stared at him with an impassive look. Did he always have to eat high-classed food around the day regardless of what time it was?

The black haired man replied in a gruff tone. "Where's my fucking wine?"

"But boss, you never mentioned for-" The poor recruit immediately shut up with the glare he received from the crimson eyed man. "I thought you would like the steak first so I brought it in a hurry!" He rushed and placed it on the garden table which stood next to the white marble fountain which Tsuna had never noticed the last time she was here. "I will bring the wine now!"

The three of them were left in an awkward silence which ensued after the man hastily left the garden. It was, unlike the open garden in the Northern side of the Varia mansion, more of a greenhouse but a spacious one and built with thick glass. And also, it was attached to the end of the southern side of the mansion.

"Umm…" Tsuna dared to break the silence. "So what brings you here, Xanxus-san?"

"It's none of your business brat." Squalo replied instead. "I brought him here to talk while I watch over your training. Now go along and tend to those fucking dead plants and weeds. All the equipment you need is in the shed back there."

"Eh?" The brunette blinked. She was supposed to what?

"VOI! I said go!" The white haired swordsman snapped. "What the _fuck_ are you still doing here?"

"Eeks!" She shuddered under the extra glare that came from the black haired man. "I'm going!"

The brunette went towards the shed with confusion. She had expected another harsh training or something. Not to take care of the plants. Did that mean her days of difficult lessons under Squalo were ending?

She smiled at that thought and opened the door of the shed only to slam it shut with all her might. Her face grew pale and her hand shivered. She had seen something in there. It was dark but she could've sworn she saw something in there. And it was moving.

"Oh. I forgot to mention that the plants are carnivorous. A new breed produced by sun flames as an experiment. They attack anything that tries to uproot them even though they're practically dead. They're around the garden. Make sure every single one of them is taken care of." Squalo's voice called out to her.

"Carnivorous attacking plants!?" Tsuna cried out.

Then what she had seen inside the shed must have been one of them as well. In response to her thought, the thing inside the shed thumped around as though making itself known. The brunette made an internal plea for the heavens to be on her side as she opened the door again.

A sunflower. Of all the plants and flowers that existed, it had to be a sunflower. But it was ten times the size of a normal one and was instead a shade of dried brown. The light streamed in when she opened the door and she got a better look of it. She squinted. "It doesn't look like it can attack anyone."

The place where the sunflower's seeds were supposed to be suddenly transformed into razor sharp teeth which shone bright as it turned to face her. Or probably the sunlight which came in from her direction.

"Okay." She sharply inhaled, her voice going an octave higher. "I take back my words."

The girl grabbed the shovel closest to her and held it tight. There was a moment of stillness, the calm before the storm. Then it all happened very quickly. She yelled out a battle cry just as the sunflower jumped in her direction.

It was going to be a fight to remember.

* * *

"…even Marmon wouldn't be able to stand to the curse if this continues. She's having multiple collapses and it's taking a toll on her health." Squalo said. "Bel reported that one of the banks where she had stored a good amount of cash terminated her account due to mysterious circumstances. This she did not take well."

Xanxus however seemed more interested with his steak which he was munching away rather noisily much to the white haired commander's annoyance.

"As for the rest of Guardians, the curse undoubtedly affects us on a daily basis but it isn't so severe. We can bear it but-"

"So…" The black haired man interrupted him as he finally put the knife and fork down. "What is it that you expect me to do?"

"Break the curse of course." Squalo replied. He had had this talk with his boss more than once. In fact, he brought this topic every single day since the curse had settled on them. And none of them ever went well. He knew his Boss was inept when it came to ' _love_ ' but ever since the Decimo had arrived, Xanxus could give it a shot couldn't he?

The Varia Boss laughed harshly as he wiped his mouth with the napkin. "And what is it you suggest?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

A foul aura replaced the black haired man's casual one. "You expect me to-" Xanxus paused for a moment as though he was trying to find the right word. "-to _court_ her?"

Squalo felt a sense of relief wash over him. It seemed like the heavens had opened up and enlightened the other man that he actually knew the word 'c _ourt_ ' and what it meant. He could very much hear the angels singing right now. "I don't see why not. She's probably the _only_ female who wouldn't put on a fake persona around you out of fear."

Xanxus growled. "I'm not interested in trash like _her_."

The said girl was currently struggling to stand as she approached them. She stopped about a feet from the table. "All…done."

Squalo glanced at table clock which he had brought along to time her. It had been almost an hour since she began her task. He nodded in approval. "That was done faster than I had expected. Good job. You're dismissed for the day."

"…thanks." She managed to say before her legs gave away and she fell forward.

However, instead of landing on the ground face first she was prevented from falling by Xanxus who used the boot of his outstretched leg to balance her by lightly pushing it against her abdomen. Squalo raised an eyebrow at his Boss's sudden act. He could've sworn the man had acted out on pure instinct. _Or did he?_

"Not interested in trash like her?" Squalo couldn't stop the smirk that crept on his lips.

The black haired man shot him a side glare before tossing the unconscious female over to the white haired swordsman who caught her with ease. "She was about to spill my drink."

Squalo laughed only to have the glass of wine in which Xanxus had lifted off the table shatter over his head and its contents drip down his long hair. "VOI! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR!?"

Now it was Xanxus who wore the smirk as he coolly walked back into the mansion with his hands in his pockets. For all he knew, the shitty assed commander had got just what he deserved. And that made him settle into a good and satisfied mood. The one mood he was rarely ever in.

* * *

 **A/N** **:** No, you're not dreaming. And yes, this IS an early update from my side xD Surprised much? :'3

So in this chapter I wanted it to be known that the curse shouldn't be forgotten about and you should be aware that it is pretty much dangerous. And yes I wanted to experiment on friendship between the Varia members in this chapter too. Bel and Viper have been together working on various missions together for quite a long time so yes, they are undoubtedly close and exhibit care for each other in their own ways. As for Xanxus and Squalo, I see them as "best-friend" material. I don't know why. I just get that vibe from them xD Do you too? :'3

Them confiding with each other not only as Boss and subordinate but also as "friends" seems cute to me so I tested it out :'D

And they can't directly talk about the curse to others who are unaware of it. But well, Bel-kun gave our dearest Tsuna a hint of the curse in a rather indirect manner. She is already aware that something is not quite right in the previous chapters but she hasn't pieced up the things together yet.

That's about it for the explanations for your understanding :D

And yes. How did you like this chapter? ^^

A big thanks to all those who have taken time to read this story. Also a major gratitude to those concerned people for your favourites and follows and YES! The reviews too!

 **Timberwolf Silver:** Thank you! And that's a good idea. I'll be keeping that in mind :'3

 **Kitty Kat Vixen:** Thank you :') I love you guys more xD

 **NekoMimiMyawMyaw:** Yes. He's Levi afteral xD And about Bester being what Xanxus feels inside…who knows :'3

 **Ducki9:** I hope this chapter had more of the two like you wanted it to :') That time will come soon. I can't wait for it too. The reactions of the Varia will be priceless! xD And I'll keep in mind your suggestion too :'3 And your hope truned to reality and so here's the next chapter! I hope you enjoyed it! :'D

Do drop your opinions in the form of reviews as REVIEWS ARE LOVE! :')


	6. Chapter 6

**Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale**

* * *

 **Summary:**

"Only true love can break the curse."

The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.

They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.

[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.

 **Warnings:** With the Varia comes colourful language :'3  
And do watch out for grammatical errors or anything of that sort xD  
Point it out to me if you spot any :v

* * *

6\. Hourglass of Death.

* * *

 _Previously,_

"… _thanks." She managed to say before her legs gave away and she fell forward._

 _However, instead of landing on the ground face first she was prevented from falling by Xanxus who used the boot of his outstretched leg to balance her by lightly pushing it against her abdomen. Squalo raised an eyebrow at his Boss's sudden act. He could've sworn the man had acted out on pure instinct. Or did he?_

" _Not interested in trash like her?" Squalo couldn't stop the smirk that crept on his lips._

 _The black haired man shot him a side glare before tossing the unconscious female over to the white haired swordsman who caught her with ease. "She was about to spill my drink."_

 _Squalo laughed only to have the glass of wine in which Xanxus had lifted off the table shatter over his head and its contents drip down his long hair. "VOI! WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT FOR!?"_

 _Now it was Xanxus who wore the smirk as he coolly walked back into the mansion with his hands in his pockets. For all he knew, the shitty assed commander had got just what he deserved. And that made him settle into a good and satisfied mood. The one mood he was rarely ever in._

* * *

A set of five silver knives shot out of the dark hallway; Sawada Tsunayoshi immediately dropped the books she was carrying and barely managed to dodge the attack as she moved as though she were in a dance.

"Ushishishi." His laughter echoed throughout the corridor as the blond prince stepped out of the shadows.

Tsuna sighed as she bent down and picked up the English textbooks off the floor along with Bel's knives. She warily eyed the weapons holding them up towards its owner. "I'd really appreciate it if you don't use me as a target practice, Belphegor-san; especially when I'm preoccupied."

The prince tilted his head to the side with his ever-present grin plastered on his face. "The little rabbit seems to be unravelling its fangs."

He covered the gap between the two of them in just one long stride and leaned forward, bringing his face right in front of hers. The brunette grimaced at the proximity and chose to fix her gaze on his shiny tiara. He seemed to have his eyes locked on with hers, but she wouldn't know for sure since his fringe fell over his colourless orbs. No one had ever seen it. It was a mystery and would most likely continue to remain a mystery. "And it has _just_ been a week and a half."

Tsuna cleared her throat. "Well, a week and a half is definitely enough time to get used to the Varia's company."

Bel chuckled in reply. "Don't be too sure of what you _only_ see on the outside."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Her hyper-intuition knew his words carried depth even though he had just lightly spoken like it was a joke.

"It-" The blond prince cut himself off as he abruptly directed his attention over to something far behind her. His grin grew wider like a Cheshire cat's as he snatched the knives out from the brunette's hands and pounced off into the dark hallway. "Found you, stupid frog~!"

The Vongola Decimo sighed and shook her head again. She walked off in the opposite direction in a slightly quicker pace than before. Being late for her _first_ 'English class' was the last thing she wanted for to happen.

She was headed over to the library in the south-wing of the mansion. It was an enormous place with an uncountable number of books that would leave one gaping. Especially since the library belonged to the _Varia_ who were _assassins_ who didn't seem like the type who even had time to _read_.

Tsuna pushed open the door with fine wood carvings and entered the library. She stared up at the high ceiling and the tall shelves tightly fitted with books. It was a sight she knew she would never get used to. The Vongola mansion did have something akin to this but somehow, Varia's library seemed more alluring in a strange manner.

She slowly shut the door behind her and then headed over to the corner where her mentor was, to her surprise, already seated with an unreadable expression.

The brunette glanced at her wristwatch and frowned. There were still about ten minutes left before noon which meant that she wasn't late. But that didn't explain why he was here before the assigned time.

"Umm…good afternoon, Levi-san." She greeted him awkwardly as she took her seat across where the Varia's Lightning Guardian was seated on the table. "I hope you weren't waiting too long…?"

"I arrived at eleven." The man 'hmmph-ed' as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Tsuna openly gawked at his reply. He had been here for almost an hour! She faintly remembered something similar as this taking place during the 'Ring Conflict' back then.

 _Does he have a thing for being early?_ She wondered to herself.

This would be their first time that they would actually be engaging in a conversation with each other –though it would strictly be limited to her lessons- and so she felt a little uneasy.

When she first approached Squalo to as for assistance with learning how to be more fluent in the English language, she did not expect him to shove over the responsibility to the Lightning Guardian much less for Levi to accept the duty.

Just two days ago, there had been a parcel with a note at the doorstep from her hitman tutor which contained her University's summer assignments as well as _"side-assignments"_ from Reborn himself. Learning how to _fluently_ speak in English by the end of summer was also one of them. Tsuna decided to work on it first since it was one of her worst subjects back in high school all because she had focused more on learning Italian instead.

And if she wasn't able to complete the list of ' _side-assignments'_ , she would be spending her next vacation getting to know a _ll_ the Mafia Dons under the Vongola.

So that was how she had landed up in the situation where the man with the fancy beard was… _wait. Why is he glaring at me!?_

"How well versed are you with English?"

"Umm…I can read simple texts but I am terrible with sentence formation and grammar." Tsuna replied after a short and thoughtful pause.

"Pronunciation?"

"…I don't think it's too good…"

Levi nodded before pulling out a textbook from his own pile of books and handing it over to her. "Turn to page number twelve and read the text out for me."

The brunette obediently did as she was told and scanned through the words. She cleared her throat and then proceeded on with the text which was titled _'Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star'_.

"Twinkuru, twinkuru, ri-little sutah." Tsuna began nervously. "How I wondah wah you ahh."

"Stop." The man cut in before she could continue any further. He didn't show much of a reaction but he clearly didn't expect what he had just heard. As for the brunette, she felt her ears slowly turn warm while wondering if she had sounded _that_ bad.

"We will work mainly on your pronunciation, focusing on your R's and L's, and also try to get rid of that heavy Japanese accent of yours."

The brunette nodded in response.

"As for your grammar and sentence formation, I will give you materials on a new topic everyday which you will work on for two hours after dinner. This will help your progress greatly."

"Levi-san?" The man looked at her with a questioning glance. Tsuna had been wondering why he had even accepted the task of teaching her despite the fact that he seemed to dislike her. "Why are you helping me?"

His glare had her diverting her attention down to the open book in front of her. _Wrong move perhaps?_

"You are the next boss of Vongola under which comes the Varia." Levi began after a moment of tense silence. "If you can't even speak English properly, you will bring shame to the Boss."

The brunette sweat-dropped. That did sound like a pretty legit reason from the perspective of someone who was ever loyal to the boss of Varia.

"Here." He said as he handed a bunch of papers to her. "These are elementary, junior and high school level questions on English. Solve them now."

 _That's A LOT. Well, at least there's no punishment for wrong answers._ "…okay."

* * *

Just cause she had assignments to complete didn't mean that she would be excused from her training with the white haired swordsman. In fact, those were the exact words Squalo had said when the two bumped into each other after she had finished her lessons with Levi.

The brunette was not even given a chance to take a short break when she was dragged off by Squalo to the training room.

Today, he had said that she would be battling against illusions. She was already well practised in that field thanks to her Mist Guardian being added into some of Reborn's training sessions. But according to the swordsman, her excuse didn't matter as it wouldn't hurt to gain more experience while she was still stuck with the Varia.

"VOI! Where is Mammon?" Squalo demanded after throwing open the doors to the training room revealing Fran who was busy pulling out knives from his frog hat and fixing up the damage while seated on the floor.

"Ah." Fran blinked in surprise at the sudden intrusion. "Senpai isn't in here. I doubt she will even bother dropping by anyway."

The man frowned. "Tch. That blasted illusionist."

"So…classes will be cancelled for today?" Tsuna asked trying not to sound hopeful but failing miserably.

"Of course not, we still have an illusionist here." The man snorted as he pointed his sword at the said individual who had gotten off the floor and put on his cap.

"So dumba- commander…what am I supposed to do?" Fran asked as he turned to Squalo.

"Conjure up another swordsman." He replied after a thoughtful pause before turning to Tsuna. "Change of plans, you brat will learn how to defend yourself against two swords."

"Wha-" Tsuna choked when she found herself staring at Yamamoto Takeshi who appeared beside Squalo.

He grinned and waved at her. "Yo Tsuna!"

His actions were the same, even his carefree laugh and the cheerful demeanour he almost always had about it. But her hyper-intuition knew better. She got into a battle-ready stance and narrowed her eyes. "Bring it on."

Squalo smirked in approval as he too prepared himself to attack. "Remember, no offense on your part."

"Only defence." Tsuna nodded.

"Begin!" Fran, who had taken over the position as a referee, announced. The whole scenario then shifted. They found themselves in an open field that resembled – _a Pokémon gym battleground?_

But the trio were far from being distracted and immediately jumped into action.

Tsuna ducked a high sword swing from her Rain Guardian only to find herself being flung back after a harsh hit on her abdomen from a certain white-haired swordsman who appeared from below. She instantly got back on her feet while inwardly cursing herself for letting her guard down.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she retook the same stance from when they began. Her now glowing-orange eyes snapped open as she moved out of the way from Squalo's strike and blocked Yamamoto's sneak attack with a punch packed with Sky Flames. The sudden move caused him to use his sword as a last second block.

Unfortunately though, the sword shattered on impact with her punch. Yamamoto whistled as he stepped back with his hands raised. "Not bad Tsuna, but that was just the beginning."

The brunette sweat-dropped at the mini-tiara that popped into existence on the top of his head and the sudden appearance of a chainsaw in his raised hands. He now wore a very familiar Cheshire like grin as he reared the chainsaw to life. "Let's have a _bloody_ fun time together~!"

Fran's monotonous resonated throughout the illusion landscape as he made an announcement. "Ano…this is to inform you that there has been a player switch due to minor problems accompanied by boredom. Yamamoto's replacement is Take-bel-shi. Okay, that's all. Resume the battle."

Tsuna barely dodged the chainsaw that was abruptly thrust at her face, missing her ear by just a mere centimetre. She cart-wheeled back and dropped down to a leg spin which caught the white-haired swordsman off guard. However, he used his loss of balance to slam his sword on to the ground and swipe the flying debris at the girl.

The brunette wove her way with skilful ease through the oncoming rubble. She took off the ground just in time to avoid her other opponent's attack which would have been a disturbingly violent had she not dodged it.

"Maa maa, Tsuna. Why don't you just stay still…" Take-bel-shi wore a menacingly wide grin on his face as he pointed his weapon at her. "… _et laissez-moi vous baigne dans le sang_."

She did not need to know French in order to understand what he had just said. The brunette had gotten a gist of his words, afteral.

Tsuna slowly exhaled as she focused hard sky flames unto her left hand which was aimed at Take-bel-shi. It was a technique she had accidentally discovered when she had been training on her own during the past week. Usually, she required her X-Gloves version Vongola Ring to activate the pure sky flames but somehow, she had found a way to bring out the hard flames without it.

The danger of her new technique was that since the pure flames were highly concentrated on her _bare_ palm, there was a huge possibility of her sustaining small burns to even having her whole hand go up in flames, _forever_. The sky flames were afteral the only flame attribute, among the other dying will flames, which possessed the traits to release heat and burn.

"This is your _end_."

"VOI! I said you're only supposed to stick to defence!"

BOOM!

* * *

"Mou~!" Lussuria fussed as he immediately tended to a currently unconscious Fran who had been brought in by a fuming Squalo and a sheepish looking Tsuna. "What on earth did you guys do to Fran-kun?!"

Tsuna winced at the glare directed to her from Squalo who had seated himself on an empty stool after the both of them placed the young illusionist on a bed. She followed suit and sat on the edge of another spare bed in the infirmary.

It wasn't entirely her fault. She hadn't expected that her ' _still-in-the-process-of-perfection'_ of a move would cause such blast after coming in contact with the other two's simultaneous attacks. The shock wave from the impact flung all three of them to different corners of the room and shattered the illusion landscape in the process.

Squalo was able to bring up a flame barrier to shield himself from the flying wreckage while Tsuna somehow managed to get through it with just a few bruises. The young Mist Guardian, however, wasn't so lucky. Fran was caught unaware since he hadn't been expecting any offensive attacks to be thrown at him. Thankfully though, his only casualties were broken bones, a deep cut on his back and the fact that he had lost his consciousness after knocking his head against the wall.

"What the fuck was that goddamned move?" The white-haired swordsman growled as one of the Varia Sun Guardian's subordinates tended to his scratches right away.

"A-A special move I've been trying to perfect." Tsuna replied in a guilty tone as she stretched her hand out for the tall man who had being assigned to heal her wounds.

She watched as he activated his flames over her hand. The Sun flames gave off calming warmth as they as they mended up the bruises on her delicate skin. The brunette gave a soft sigh in contentment.

"Voi." Squalo grabbed the girl by the arm and turned her so that they were facing each other. She gulped as their eyes met. "Next time, _fucking_ learn how to control ANY of your _special moves_ before you use it."

Tsuna nodded feverishly as she felt his grip tighten.

"Am I UNDERSTOOD!?"

"Yessir!" She squeaked.

Satisfied with her reply, he rose to his feet and shoved the man tending to the last of his scratches aside before marching out of the infirmary. "Fuck this shit, where's Mammon?"

Tsunayoshi turned to face Fran with a regretful look as the Varia's Sun Guardian nursed him. She murmured a soft _"Thank you"_ when the tall man was done healing her injuries and got off the bed. Grabbing Squalo's stool, she placed it next to the teal haired illusionist's bed and sighed.

"Don't worry, Tsuna-chan." Lussuria smiled. "Fran-kun doesn't experience any kind of pain due to a condition he suffers from."

The brunette frowned. "That's…absurd."

"He is immune to all kinds of physical pain. And this is nothing compared to what the Varia have to go through." The Sun Guardian replied as he pulled the bedcovers over the teal hair's small frame. He patted Tsuna on the head before heading out of the infirmary. "Don't stay too long, alright? Supper will be served in an hour."

The brunette nodded, her gaze still fixed on Fran who looked as though he was having a peaceful dream. _He's just a kid._

"Do they really have to face such perilous situations out there?" She wondered aloud to herself after some time. "But Nono won't send them out to such dangerous missions, would he? Speaking of which…" the brunette frowned, "Why is it that the Varia haven't shown any signs of taking up missions lately?"

Reborn had once told her that the independent assassination squad under the Vongola were very active. Whether it was the lower ranks or the higher ups or even Xanxus's Guardians, they always had missions to carry out on a regular basis. But strangely, she hadn't seen such movement at all ever since her arrival.

"Could there be something preventing them from doing so?" She asked no one in particular as she brushed off the stray strands of hair on Fran's pale face.

The brunette froze her movement when she suddenly realised something even more unusual.

It was the very presence of the boy infront of her. He would permanently be a part of Varia only after he finished his training under her Mist Guardian. Until then, he was to visit the Varia every month for a week and take up his share of missions as a temporary member, a procedure carried out to ensure that he would be well acquainted with the Varia after he became a fully fledged member.

Tsuna herself had been present when they had signed the agreement.

 _It's been almost two weeks now and he's still here._ She furrowed her eyebrows.

There was something going on. Tsuna didn't know what it was but she was now sure of the fact that there was something strange happening in the Varia.

 _But what could it be?_

* * *

"Tch." The orange haired girl wore a sour expression as she flicked the crystal ball with her finger. "Pesky blood of Vongola, she's such a nuisance to my game."

The fairy pointed her forefinger at the brunette whom she was watching through her magical medium. She suddenly gasped. A smirk on her lips and a devious glint in her eyes replaced the thoughtful expression she had been wearing. "Lucky~! I just remembered a way to remove such nuisances from my game… _permanently_ ~!"

She got off the couch she had been sitting on and proceeded to straighten out the folds in her pitch black gothic frock that fell above her knees. The girl then strode out of her cosy little cottage.

She stepped out into the foggy evening and inhaled the fresh air with a sigh. The dark woods were a place she was very fond of, one of the reasons being the fact that rarely any human ever ventured into it.

The fairy parted her lips and emitted a soft melody which echoed throughout the visage of the mysterious tall trees. Almost immediately, a huge gray wolf appeared before her. It lowered its head down and allowed her to pat it on its head, a sign of submission.

"Hello, Oíche." She cooed. " _Conas t_ _á_ _t_ _ú_?"

The wolf grunted in response.

"I have a task for you and your _cairde_." The fairy grinned. " _Téigh go dtí an Varia. Fanacht le mo ordú_."

The majestic beast bowed before vanishing into the fog.

Her satisfied smile was however wiped off from her face the moment she sensed an awfully familiar presence behind her. She turned around with a scowl and narrowed her vibrant green eyes at the sight of her brother.

" _Cad ba mhaith leat_?" She demanded. "Cael?"

"I believe we have to talk." The boy sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "Caitlynn."

* * *

Xanxus growled as his head throbbed. This was not the usual fucked up headaches he usual had after a hangover. This was a different kind of headache. And he realised the source of it was the very object sitting on the table, taunting him with a memory he did not want to remember.

The _fucking_ hour glass with blue sand that foretold how soon he would die.

He kicked the table, sending it down with one mighty crash. That fucker of a fairy was going to pay. The next time he met her he would strangle her and put an end to all the fucking bullshit.

His crimson eyes narrowed as his sight fell on the hourglass which remained unharmed. The sand still continued to slowly trickle down as though teasing him with the fact that no matter what he did, he couldn't change his fate.

The door opened and his Rain Guardian stalked in with a frown. "Voi. What _fucking_ happened in here?"

"Get that _fucking piece of trash_ out of my sight." Xanxus growled as he threw his bottle of champagne at the hourglass. " _Now._ "

The white haired swordsman wisely picked it up without another word and pocketed it. He then turned to his boss and tossed an envelope with the black haired man's name neatly scrawled on it. "Some low ranking trash was brought in dead with this in his pocket."

Xanxus ripped it open. His scowl deepened as he read the contents of the letter.

' _The game has just begun.'_

He crushed the letter and burned it up with his flames. "What _the fuck_ is the meaning of this?"

"The others say he was ambushed in the woods left to the Varia's mansion." Squalo said. "He was a pretty nasty sight. I must say, it looked like the work of…wolves."

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes. A VERY late update. After three months. I began writing this chapter just last week. I'm not the type who can finish a chapter in a day. I like taking my own sweet time xD

So how did was it? :'3

I really enjoyed writing the part where Tsuna recited "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star". Especially since it was a free class when I was writing it down in my notebook and me and my bench mate couldn't stop saying it. It's catchy, somehow xD ROFL

The fairy reappears again and so does her brother. The wolves and the dead Varia member. Take-bel-shi. Levi tutoring Tsuna. Tsuna's new special move and the explosive training session. Xanxus and the " _fucking"_ hourglass. What do you think? :'3

Do drop in your feedback and what you feel of this story. That stuff is important for me to carry on and it gives me A LOT of motivation even though it's just a small sentence, thank you very much ^^

A big thank you to **Ghiro, GiuliaZe, wolfiesilvester, Ducki9, FANactic Writer, AoBara, ezcap1st, Twitch101, ichigo kurosakee, POTDMARY1** for your reviews! ^^

 **Ginseng Tea:** Thank you for your opinion. Yes Tsuna appears to be a wimp in the beginning mainly cause she was pushed into the company of assassins. It takes one some time to get used and comfortable to the presence of other people, so that is what happened here with her :')  
And no, here, let's just say he has taught her to go all HDWM without the gloves but it's still a work in progress :'3  
Thanks for pointing it out anyway!  
Well with this chapter out, how does her personality seem like to you now? xD

 **darkchan74:** Thank you! I love protector Squalo too :'3  
I tried to make her seem badass in this chapter. Did that work out? xD

 **Guest** (Jul 19 c1) **:** Thank you, whoever you are. Your review moved me (T^T)/  
I'm glad you like it and this is a late update but I hope you get to read it! ^^

A big thank you for the follows and favourites! I love you guys :'3

 **Translations:**

(With the help of Google Translate)

 _Et laissez-moi vous baigne dans le sang:_ (French) And let me bathe you in blood.

 _Conas t_ _á_ _t_ _ú?_ : (Irish) How are you?

 _Cairde_ : (Irish) Friends.

 _Téigh go dtí an Varia. Fanacht le mo ordú_ : (Irish) Go to the Varia. Wait for my command.

 _Cad ba mhaith leat_?: (Irish) What do you want?


	7. Chapter 7

**Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale**

 **Summary:**

"Only true love can break the curse."

The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.

They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.

[Fem! Tsuna x Xanxus]

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.

 **Warnings:** With the Varia comes colourful language :'3

* * *

7\. Before the storm.

* * *

 _Previously,_

" _Get that fucking piece of trash out of my sight." Xanxus growled as he threw his bottle of champagne at the hourglass. "Now."_

 _The white haired swordsman wisely picked it up without another word and pocketed it. He then turned to his boss and tossed an envelope with the black haired man's name neatly scrawled on it. "Some low ranking trash was brought in dead with this in his pocket."_

 _Xanxus ripped it open. His scowl deepened as he read the contents of the letter._

' _The game has just begun.'_

 _He crushed the letter and burned it up with his flames. "What the fuck is the meaning of this?"_

" _The others say he was ambushed in the woods left to the Varia's mansion." Squalo said. "He was a pretty nasty sight. I must say, it looked like the work of…wolves."_

* * *

The white haired swordsman frowned as he scanned the files in his hands.

This was a problem. The lack of activity for the past two weeks on the Varia's part was causing rising suspicions that _"something had happened"_ to the assassination squad. And now, smaller groups were daring to rise and mess around with the Vongola because they believed the famiglia's powerhouse was down.

Sure, they were small fry who didn't matter but their increasing movement was the problem. Of course, Vongola could handle all their god-damned shit for all he cared. But if the small fry had the guts to pick on the world's largest and strongest famiglia, the big names would very much be planning on acting up too. And _that_ was something to worry about.

Squalo slammed the files back on the table and rose from his seat.

He needed a fucking conference with the rest of the Varia, the Vongola and the CEDEF. And a dummy to blow off some steam on coupled with some shots of vodka. Maybe then he won't be under stress and he'd not have to worry about his hair falling off.

But then again, there was another problem in the grounds of the Varia manor itself.

As if on cue, the doors to the empty meeting hall where he had been musing to himself flew open. There stood one of the lower rank Varia who was trying to catch his breath. "Commander! Reporting that there has been another casualty–"

"Those FUCKING WOLVES!" Squalo roared, startling the poor member who turned as white as a sheet.

"C-Commander?"

"Did the victim turn up dead or alive this time?"

"Barely alive, b-but he'll make it through, commander."

"Voi. He better." Squalo paused. "And please tell me that he will be able to speak for fuck's sake."

The other man blinked.

The Rain Guardian rolled his eyes and waved his sword at him. "Can the fucking victim talk? Or will he end up in a coma? Or has his face been ripped out along with his tongue and his arms bitten off? OR–"

"Commander, this one has attained the minimum injuries than all previous ones so he can talk!" The lower rank Varia exclaimed quickly before he could lose his lunch from re-picturing the horrid fate that his unfortunate colleagues had faced.

"Good. I need fucking intel on those wolves. Dismissed."

"Yessssir!"

"And inform that Sawada brat to meet me in the training room at three instead." Squalo called out after the member. "I have some s _hit_ to deal with first."

* * *

"No Bester." Sawada Tsunayoshi huffed as she struggled to push the gigantic cat off her bed.

The beast gave a deep growl in response but the girl didn't flinch. As horrifying as it was to her that she had gotten "used" to the Varia, she had also gotten used to Bester who had claimed her bed as his own in the past few days. The girl slept the first few days of his sudden territorial claim with apprehension and fear that the creature would feast on her in her sleep but gradually, his presence turned rather comforting.

And moreover, he kept her very warm since the blankets did little to keep her away from the cold; even though it was currently the warmest season of the year.

"I'm just going to take a short nap, not a 'goodnight's rest' so you will NOT share the bed with me now." She continued to push the beast with no avail. "Honestly speaking, don't you have better things to do? Like perhaps, staying by your master's side instead of sleeping next to the person he hates with all his heart –if he even has one– ack!"

The Vongola Decimo found herself lying on her stomach across the bed with Bester's heavy paw resting on top of her back. She shot him an accusing glare to which he promptly turned his head away. "If you're offended by my opinion of Xanxus-san, you might as well eat me up instead of acting all chummy with me."

Bester turned to her with narrowed eyes and flashed his teeth at her, releasing another low growl as he did. The girl gulped and buried her face into the sheets as she flashed a "peace sign" at the creature.

"Sorry. I didn't entirely mean it." Tsuna's muffled voice sounded. The beast only huffed in reply. "So...could you like maybe get your paw off me now –eep!"

She froze as the beast lightly pressed his claws against her back. Bester would never attack her…right? But he was Xanxus's box weapon in the end so who knew the outcome after she had out rightly –perhaps?– insulted the Varia's boss.

The liger, on sensing her wariness, lifted off his paw and nestled closer to her. He huffed and rested his head infront of her hand, nudging it with expectation. Tsuna sat up and sighed before running her fingers through his soft fur. He smelled like whiskey, shampoo –which she found weird because she couldn't just imagine Xanxus giving his liger a _bubble-bath_ – and a whiff of gun powder.

Her eyes felt heavy. The exhaustion, from not getting a proper sleep due to staying up late for the sake of reading on etiquettes, was getting to her. Viper had dumped a whole set of books on her bed after drifting in through the wall –Tsuna freaked 'cause she thought the woman was a ghost for a moment– and informing her about being thorough with it before their lessons. The illusionist then drifted out without giving her even a sliver of a chance to reply.

It all had to do with Reborn's "s _ide-assignments"_.

"To be mafia, you have to know how to roll with your etiquettes or end up being the fool."

She could almost hear him say that.

There were going to be lots to do when she turned boss. All those meetings, negotiations, galas and everything else that tagged along with the "mafia-boss" title she would be carrying soon. But those were hardly her concern right now. She needed a power nap before Squalo's training commenced.

* * *

"Voi." Squalo blinked. "What the fuck happened to you?"

Sawada Tsunayoshi sniffed and tucked on the ends of her shirt. It wasn't her fault that she kicked a certain liger on startling awake at the sudden ring of the alarm clock. Bester had, however, not appreciated her action no matter how fond he was of her and so he pounced on her with a fierce growl. Clearly, he had a short temper like his master.

What happened next was a result of an instinct to save herself and thus, resulted in her dishevelled state.

"It was the alarm clock." She replied as she tried to smoothen down a lock of her brown hair.

Superbi Squalo stared at her with a blank look.

"Umm…" Tsuna chose to break the awkward silence. "Training?"

"…first, you deal with your hair." The man jabbed a finger at her. "It looks like a mushroom and it's fucking distracting."

"..."

* * *

Xanxus arched a brow as his liger gracefully stalked into the room.

But that wasn't what caught his attention. It was the chunk of burnt fur the beast was now sporting on his back that made him raise an eyebrow. The giant cat sauntered in towards the Varia boss and settled infront of the man, resting his great head on his master's head in the process.

Bester blinked innocently as his eyes met with crimson orbs.

"What?" Xanxus wore an expression that hinted his amusement.

The beast huffed and nudged his master with its nose.

The raven head snorted as he twirled the pinkish drink in the glass held in his hand. "You expect me to feed you flames to heal that?"

Bester seemed to nod its head.

"Even after you keep hanging out with that trash–"

–cue a deep threatening growl–

Xanxus paused and met the beast's eyes again. His next words were more of a statement than a question. "You mean to say she's not trash."

The great cat hummed in agreement.

"Well, stick your biased opinions up your fucking arse, Bester." The raven head rolled his eyes and elegantly took a swig of his drink. "You spend too much time with her so you would _obviously_ think that."

Offended, the creature flicked his tail and overturned the table placed next to Xanxus's armchair. The Varia boss's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as his bottle of _Lambrusco Ros_ _é_ _, 1907_ fell to the ground with a crash, shattering into a million pieces and spilling out the contents. He narrowed his eyes as he shifted his attention over to Bester who wore a casual look and almost looked like he was smirking.

"I liked that bottle."

A rough nudge to his abdomen was the liger's reply.

"You don't care?" Xanxus paused before giving a harsh laugh and unceremoniously shoving the liger off his lap as he rose to his feet. He shot the creature a glare and turned his back to him with a scoff. "No need to come back running to me when you need help then."

Bester rolled his eyes at his master's words. For a moment, it was as though their minds shared the same thoughts. And Xanxus was not at all pleased to know that the creature though him _"immature"_. He was a fucking box weapon for crying out loud! Not like he'd even understand shit anyway.

As if hearing what Xanxus had just thought, the feline snorted.

The Varia boss threw a glare behind him. "And shut the fuck up."

* * *

"Ushishishi." Bel sat himself on the edge of the ex-Arcobaleno's bed. "What are you reading? Fairytales? That's so unlikely of you…"

"They are not every little child's fairytales." Viper rolled her eyes, but with the hood shielding her face, the prince had obviously not seen it. "This is research material."

The blond assassin cocked his head to the side. "Oh. _That_ fairy?"

Viper's eyebrows rose at the amount of spite that accompanied his words. It was surprising but the illusionist had a wild guess and she could bet her money on the fact that she was right. "Do tell, your curse mark is acting up isn't it?"

Bel's expression darkened for a moment before it was replaced with his carefree one which came along with that disturbing grin of his. "The prince can't sleep in or pass on work to the low ranks without his back burning." He gave a nonchalant wave as he continued. "But it's fucking silly. And the prince chooses to ignore something so… _est_ _ú_ _pido_."

"Prolonged ignorance to the pain from the curse mark and the reason the pain is triggered will only end up _killing you_ faster." The illusionist droned and watched in amusement as the blond's grin slipped for just a brief second.

"Ushishishi." The Storm Guardian then seemed to become giddy with the new piece of information. "That means _you_ will die first!"

Viper paused in her action of turning the page of the voluminous old book infront of her. "Excuse me?"

"Greed." Bel said in a sing-song voice before cracking up. "Your money will be the death of you-"

"I suggest you end your blabbering right there and now." The woman hissed and snapped her book shut. Then she put on a smug look. "And no. I can bet _my fortune_ that I won't be the first to die."

Belphegor leaned forward with interest. "Oh?"

"Levi. His curse acts upon envy." Viper shrugged as she reopened the book and leaned back on her chair. "He tries to hide it but with Sawada Tsunayoshi around, his mark acts up. And also, every time the boss does something to some other person apart from the fool, he feels envious."

The prince hummed to himself. "Is it on his right arm? No wonder he's always rubbing it like a sore spot when he's sending glares to everyone in the room. But I don't think he'll be the first to die."

"Why not? It'll definitely not be that _spawn_ of Rokudo Mukuro. He has become quite gluttonous these days, I admit, but if someone limits the food or takes control over what he eats, surely, he'll be the one to outlive all of us at that rate."

"You talk as though we'll all end up dying because of the curse." Bel deadpanned as he twirled a knife on his fingertips out of habit. "And no, I wasn't referring to the frog either."

"Our very own commander Squalo?" She suggested as she turned a pafe. Her pet frog who was nestled on top of the hood over her head shifted to a new position, catching Bel's attention in the process.

"With all his pride, he'll be the next one to die after you and Leviathan." The prince chuckled and earned himself a glare from the woman who seemed highly offended. He paused his twirling and flicked his knife at the illusionist who didn't even flinch. The frog jumped off in time as the knife whizzed past the top of Viper's head, missing the creature by mere millimetres.

"Boy, Fantasma does not appreciate that."

The Storm Guardian's grin grew wider. "Ushishish, boss will be the first to die."

"Really now?" She drawled, seeming mildly interested to know his reason.

"Have you ever witnessed a day he hasn't lost his temper?"

"He managed it nine years straight once upon a time."

"…he was fucking frozen for those _nine years straight_ with a deep scowl etched on his face…"

Viper paused as though considering something. "Oh. Now I remember."

"You think his face muscles have therefore been permanently altered for him to forever scowl?" Bel asked in a curious tone as he cocked his head to the side.

"Xanxus laughs."

"When he's trampling over his work of chaos, yes he does."

"He smiles." Viper replied without missing a beat.

"With bloodlust." Bel corrected. "And most of his _smiles_ are smirks, for your kind information."

The woman frowned. "Are you trying to imply that he's incapable of any other emotion _and_ expression that is not related, in one way or the other, to anger?"

"Ushishishi…I guess I am." Bel laughed.

"Says the one who seemed that we would not be killed by the curse not too long ago." Viper scoffed.

"But tell me, do you really think he'll 'fall in love'?" The prince queried. "With the Vongola Decimo, no less?"

The female illusionist set her book aside and leaned forward. Her eyes burned making her wince a little, but she did not care as of now. A surprisingly wide grin equivalent to that of Bel's stretched out on her lips.

 _Viper. Greed._

"Want to place a bet?"

* * *

"ACHOO"

"Are you alright Fran dear~!" Lussuria asked in concern as he stopped beating the cake mixture for the moment.

The boy in question rubbed his nose and sniffed before fixing his enormous frog hat which had almost off when he sneezed. "'M fine."

"That curse is turning the manor into fridge despite the nice Italian summer." The Sun Guardian sighed. "You should keep yourself warm, Fran-kun~!"

"It's not the cold. Someone just spoke something nasty about me." Fran shrugged before going back to his apple pie which Lussuria had laid out for him. "I bet it's the fake degenerate prince."

The two had gotten quite comfortable with each other's presence although this familiarity was strictly limited to the kitchen where Lussuria enjoyed baking and cooking –as he claimed it gave his "motherly role" more distinction– and Fran gobbled up everything the flamboyant man would prepare, much to his delight.

Outside the kitchen's confines, Lussuria was still the _"peacock drag queen"_ to Fran and the boy, the " _annoying troublesome youngest_ _son"_ to the older man.

The teal haired boy brought his hand up and scratched the back of his neck. "Damn, it always itches when I eat. Am I not washing my neck properly?"

"Language, Fran-kun~!"

"Can I get sundae too?"

 _Fran. Gluttony._

* * *

CRASH!

"VOI! Would you fucking stop that?!" Squalo roared as another wine glass shattered on his head.

He had just shampoo-ed his hair and conditioned it with imported hair products from Korea for fuck's sake! At this rate, he knew he might lose his sanity along with his hair and he did not fucking want the goddamned shit to happen.

 _Shark. Pride._

A pain seared through his left arm and Squalo cursed. Did it have to fucking act up whenever he mentioned or thought about his hair? It was beautiful anyway. Maybe the fairy was such a jealous bitch.

Levi narrowed his eyes. If only the boss would send glasses of wine flying his way and have them shatter on his head instead of the Commander's. Why was it a _lways_ Squalo who received their boss's attention? What was so special about him? was it because he had long hair?

The man couldn't help but wonder if things would change if he too grew out his hair like the Commander's.

 _Leviathan. Envy._

The Lightning guardian scratched his right arm as an uncomfortable pain throbbed from the mark on his bicep.

Xanxus scowled. He did not like the report Squalo had brought to him regarding the meeting they would need to hold with the Vongola and also the information his Rain Guardian had gathered on the wolves from the latest victim.

The woods attached to the Varia manor never housed wolves as far as he was concerned. He knew it was that fucking fairy's doings. He had had a hunch all along so when he'd heard that the wolves were twice the size of a normal one and were white as snow, he immediately placed his finger on the fairy.

He needed to get rid of them before they got rid of more of his men. Those enchanted beasts or something of that fuck for all he cared would die in his hands. And then he'd laugh at her fucking face.

A surge of anger flowed through him. He won't let her play with him anymore like this was all just a game. As usual, he ignored as the mark on his chest over his heart burned.

 _Xanxus. Rage._

He would _crush_ her.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yeah yeah. Another chapter with no Tsuna and Xanxus interaction. But hey! They still talked about each other right? xD

This chapter is like the calm before the storm so I hope you bear with me until the next chapter is up :'3 And hey! It'll definitely up before this month is done and gone (._.)/

And yessss! Thank you so much for all the follows and favourites! My heart skips a beat every time one of you hits the follow or favourite button. No. I am NOT exaggerating. I am ever so grateful to all of you :')

As for the reviewers, thank you so much for taking time to type down your thoughts! You motivate me to the EXTREME xD

 **Nana** **,** **, Kitty Kat Vixen, FANactic Writer, Guest (Sep 21 c6), Kiome Shino** you have my many thanks for your precious reviews ^^

Sorry if you don't like the fairy, but she happens to be an essential character for this fanfic xD Perhaps you might even start to like her in the future? Who knows :'3

For the review of **Guest (Sep 23 c6)** , you had me shedding tears. I'm so glad you like it and thank you for your overly kind words (T^T)/

Next chapter? Expect FLUFF! Like finally xD ROFL

If you can, do drop a review. Thank you ^^


	8. Chapter 8

**Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale**

 **Summary:**

"Only true love can break the curse."

The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.

They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.

[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.

 **Warnings:** With the Varia comes colourful language. Watch out for grammatical errors and forgive me if this chapter seems rushed. I redid it again in a few hours time today xD

* * *

8\. Of will-o-wisps and strange things.

* * *

 _Previously,_

 _Xanxus scowled. He did not like the report Squalo had brought to him regarding the meeting they would need to hold with the Vongola and also the information his Rain Guardian had gathered on the wolves from the latest victim._

 _The woods attached to the Varia manor never housed wolves as far as he was concerned. He knew it was that fucking fairy's doings. He had had a hunch all along so when he'd heard that the wolves were twice the size of a normal one and were white as snow, he immediately placed his finger on the fairy._

 _He needed to get rid of them before they got rid of more of his men. Those enchanted beasts or something of that fuck for all he cared would die in his hands. And then he'd laugh at her fucking face._

 _A surge of anger flowed through him. He won't let her play with him anymore like this was all just a game. As usual, he ignored as the mark on his chest over his heart burned._

 _Xanxus. Rage._

 _He would crush her._

* * *

 _A dream. It's all just a dream._

 _But…_

 _But why does it feel so real?_

Tsuna walked through the forest of tall pine trees, unsure of what she was even doing here. But it was a familiar place. She had been here a couple of times before even though she never really had a chance to walk about like she did now. Those previous moments had usually only involved her catching glimpses of this very place before she woke up.

The fog was thick and heavy. However, she could still see with much clarity the path that stretched out before her. She paused in her tracks and looked about, hoping to catch sight of something else, something that wasn't all trees.

As though hearing her thoughts, a ball of blue fire popped up and danced before her.

She stared at it with narrowed eyes. It was a will-o-wisp. Gokudera had once said that following them would make you lose your way. But this was a dream so there was no harm in doing just that right? And her hyper-intuition was not screaming out at the thought so she presumed it would not be something that would end up having her harmed in any way.

 _Come_.

The brunette snapped out of her musings when a melodic voice called out to her. She was very confident of the fact that the ball of fire had just spoken to her even though such an idea seemed incredulous.

"Ah! Hold up!"

She found herself running after it. In this strange forest, the ball of fire seemed like the only thing that would keep her safe. She just knew that she had to be by its side or fear that she would lose herself in this place.

The girl gasped as she felt her skin tear when she stumbled through a bush. She glanced down and winced at the cut which now decorated her leg with her blood. It stung, she realised with astonishment. But this was a dream wasn't it? Why then could she feel pain?

As she contemplated what she should do with the wound, she heard a growl; a soft one which she wouldn't have picked up if her hyper-intuition hadn't flared at the same time. She slowly lifted her head up and scanned her surrounding with apprehension. That was not Bester's growl afteral. And that would mean that there was some creature lurking around here.

Her eyes widened when a thought struck her. _What if it can smell my blood?_

She tried to take in deep and steady breaths to calm herself down. Tsuna kept on chanting to herself that this was all a dream. Nothing but a dream and that she would wake up soon. Plus she had faced her share of dangerous creatures before, no thanks to her hitman tutor. So if one decided to appear, she would have no problem facing it off on her own right?

With the reassurance, she reopened her eyes which she had shut when she slipped into panic mode, only to shut them quickly again and have her heart beat abnormally quicken.

There was a wolf. A huge wolf. A huge white wolf with glowing yellow eyes that stood just a few feet before her while snarling and showing off its great white teeth. And that was bad. Really, really bad because she had no idea to do and she had also seen more pairs of glowing eyes when she had opened her eyes for that split second.

She never could love canines after being traumatised by a certain Chihuahua when she was younger back there in Namimori.

 _This way._

Tsuna snapped open her eyes when she heard the same melodic voice. She turned to her side where the will-o-wisp danced through the trees as though waiting for her to make a move already and to follow it. She didn't have a choice anyway. It was either the wolves or the blue fire. And she didn't know if her flames could be activated in her dream world. So yeah, she decided to go with the fire.

The wolves snapped their teeth as they bounded after her. They were so close, just a little closer and she knew she wouldn't have been alive.

 _Run Vongola Decimo. Don't let them catch you. Trust me._

Tsuna then made a fatal mistake of glancing behind her and it cost her. She hadn't seen the tree infront of her as a result of which, she slammed into it face first.

She groaned as she tried to shake off the dizziness that had suddenly overcome her, making her slump down to the ground. Wait. Pain? Dizziness? Why was it that everything that was happening seemed too real to be considered as a dream? Since when did one's senses work so effectively when the person was in a dream?

At a rather painful tug of her hyper-intuition, she glanced up and froze. She watched in slow motion as one of the wolves jumped towards her with the promise of pain and the possibility of death. This was it then? Her life would end here? In her dream world of all places?

The wolf descended upon her and—

Tsuna found herself staring at the ceiling back in her bedroom in the Varia manor.

She was breathing heavy and sweat trickled down her neck. The brunette blinked her drowsiness away as she struggled to sit up. The clock that hung on the wall declared that it was a few minutes past midnight. She ran her fingers through her hair with a sigh. Just what on earth had happened?

Tsunayoshi froze for a moment at a sudden thought then immediately kicked off the blankets. She stared in surprise at the wound on her leg. The blood had dried up but that didn't matter because the wound was very real. She hesitantly reached down and traced it with her fingers, her breath hitching as she realised it wasn't simply her imagination. And that scared her.

She scrambled out of her bed, making the sleeping Bester grunt in protest, before heading straight towards the French window and throwing it open. The brunette took in deep breaths of the chilly night air that greeted her. She needed to get her thoughts straight and maybe even try to figure out what the hell had just happened to her.

A few minutes later, she had finally calmed down a little and was curled up on a chair, reading a book under the light of the table lamp. She had resorted not to think of the peculiar dream and firstly focused on getting her racing heart to slow down. Tusna doubted she could go back to sleep again. The incident was far too strange for her to comprehend. She hoped "ghosts" had nothing to do with it, or she would make a mad dash out of the manor despite Reborn's warning.

She would rather the assassins than 'ghosts'.

As she found herself slowly and rather reluctantly drifting off to dreamland, she jerked awake when in her dreamy state she spotted a very awfully familiar looking ball of fire. The girl shot out of her seat in an instance and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. She realised that her vision was perfectly fine when the will-o-wisp still appeared to be floating by the door.

 _Help me._

Tsuna's eyes widened as it called out to her again. But in a softer tone which seemed to be in pain this time. Having the kind heart she was born with, she decided to follow the will-o-wisp. It would lead her most definitely to the person who needed her help. And also, maybe then she would find answers to the bizarre dream she had woken from.

Two birds with one stone.

"Lead the way." She whispered as she opened the door.

The blue ball of fire slowly drifted out of the room and down the hallway in response.

For some reason, Tsunayoshi felt that this would definitely not end well.

* * *

The mission was to be held tomorrow.

That was the plan the members of the Varia had concluded with after spending three long hours in the planning room two days ago. Well, it was mostly Squalo who did the whole thing himself since the boss was absent and the rest of the members were busy in their own worlds —except for Viper who had contributed to the plan because she found the wolves a nuisance and she was going to get paid for the mission anyway.

She doubted the rest of them even understood why they were there in the first place.

Squalo had guaranteed that with the information they had gathered now, the pack of abnormal wolves who had taken up residence in the Varia manor's woods would be annihilated for good. As for their positions, Fran and Belphegor were to take up the Northern area, Leviathan and Lussuria were to look after the West and finally, Squalo and Viper were to handle the other two areas, that was if their boss didn't show up.

The other squads of the Varia were assigned to handle the wolves which managed to escape, something which was an unlikely possibility since the Xanxus's guardians were blood-thirsty from being deprived of missions for two weeks and counting.

The absence of their boss from the meeting was not an unusual thing for them since it happened sometimes. But there was something wrong. Viper had been the first one to notice it a day before the meeting. And it had to do with Xanxus's appearance.

His old scars were slowly reappearing on his face. Like the time when he fought with Tsunayoshi during the ring conflict years ago. She came to a funny realisation that this had started about a week ago but it was only in that moment she had truly noticed his scars were growing more distinct. No one else had noticed probably because the rest of the people in the mansion were too scared to look Xanxus in the face and her other fellow guardians didn't really care of their boss's facial appearance.

Then Squalo had casually mentioned how their boss's eyes had turned an even bloodier shade of crimson and looked _"kinda funny"_ after he had dropped off the mission files in Xanxus's room.

Their boss did not appear for their usual meals since that night. He simply ordered for everything to be brought to his room.

Then, yet again, Viper came across the frantic looking Lightening guardian who was asking for some medicine from Lussuria since their boss was apparently "in pain". A headache from the sound of it which was nothing unusual since the man would obviously experience hangovers from the amount of alcohol he consumed.

But…Xanxus never really bothered to show pain because of such reasons before…

It was only on the night before the attack that she realised what was truly happening to him; after she personally met with him to convey a message on behalf of Squalo. She remembered how chills ran down her spine as she faced him.

His face was marred with the old scars which were fully visible now and his eyes were just as how Squalo had mentioned them to be along. But the white haired swordsman had clearly forgotten to specifically mention that Xanxus's pupils were like slits, almost like a cat's. No wonder he had commented that their boss's eyes looked funny.

When he spoke, she couldn't help but stare for a few stunned seconds at his canines which had become more prominent. It was as though she were staring at the mouth of a feline. It was then that she realised it was all the work of the curse, of course. It was all the fairy's doing.

She had all along known that ignoring the curse would lead to dire consequences and a quicker route to death. But she clearly hadn't been expecting this at all, that the result of ignorance would make one become almost horrid. And this was simply just the beginning.

Viper had found herself unable to sleep that very night before the mission so she thought of doing something productive. Hence, the reason why she was busy flicking through the notes she had compiled together on the wolves, their weaknesses and their vulnerable spots from the reports of the witnesses who survived as well as a few references from here and there. It never hurt to be extra sure of those little facts.

Then something strange happened when she finally decided to call it a night.

It was almost midnight when Viper felt a pulse of energy which had stopped her on her tracks from getting into bed and tucking herself in. It was strong and felt almost ancient. And there was only a certain someone she knew who would have been the cause of that. Someone who was rumoured to have possibly lived for almost a century, enchanting and cursing people, killing them _all_ in the end.

She frowned as she waited for another reaction or something to tell her she did not just imagine that. But why would the fairy so boldly barge into the mansion again? What could possibly have been her purpose? Why would she even bother doing so when she had her minions running amok in the Varia's woods?

At exactly fifteen minutes past twelve, she received her answer. And it came in the form of a fairy, a different one though, who happened to be a male this time.

* * *

Xanxus had woken up with an extremely dry throat and a migraine. He sat up, massaging his temples as he did. He had probably gone off to sleep on the leather couch after downing four and a half bottles of tequila. The man grumbled as he got off the couch, kicking the empty bottles out of his way as he staggered towards the bathroom.

He had originally planned to dip into the scented warm water that filled the mini-pool made of marble and lined with gold designs. It was what he usually did after waking up with these splitting headaches as the soak and smell of the herbal mix in the water would somehow ease the pain. However, all thoughts of the relaxing bath was thrown out the window the moment he caught sight of his reflection on the gigantic mirror that greeted him as soon as he stepped into the bathroom.

A beast.

He looked like a beast. A dry laugh escaped his lips as he caught sight of the newest change to his appearance. Claws. His fingers were now sporting fucking claws! The laugh turned violent and he was left shaking in amusement as he mused upon this cruel joke he was being turned into.

Before he knew it, the mirror was smashed and his now bloodied fist had shards of its glass sticking out of his knuckles. He gave an inhuman growl which transformed into choking fits of laughter at the thought that it was befitting for beasts to growl.

However, his laughter stopped short when he caught sight of the reflection of a blue ball of fire from the broken mirror.

Xanxus languidly turned around and stared at the will-o-wisp.

 _Did you miss me?_ A sly voice called out, an all too familiar one which made his blood boil.

He instinctively reached behind him and ripped off a loose piece of the mirror from the wall. The raven head flung it towards the ball of clue fire only to have it pass through it with no damage done. He narrowed his eyes at it as the glass shattered when it hit the ground.

The will-o-wisp danced about as though mocking him before darting out the open door, the sound of the fucking fairy's laughter echoing out after it. Blinded with rage, he stumbled out of the bathroom with intent to kill and his curse mark burning even more this time.

 _Hate. Hate. Hate._

He knew where it was leading him to by the time he registered that he was outside the manor. Xanxus knew this was reckless of him but oh well, his hatred towards that fucked up being overpowered his other emotions. He just wanted to find her, wring her neck or be the cause of her slow and painful death.

It was funny how anger could change a person entirely.

The greenhouse. That was where the will-o-wisp was guiding him off to. The very place where something he entirely loathed was resting; the hourglass that tied him to the curse and to his death. The "gift" the fairy had left behind.

He stopped when he noticed that the door was open. Someone was in there.

Xanxus felt rage.

He stepped into greenhouse and snarled at the lithe figure that stood before the table, back towards him. He could see the glow of the blue sand that ever so slowly trickled down from the upper portion of the hourglass. And he hated it.

The figure turned around, eyes wide with fear and surprise as they caught sight of the newcomer.

The raven head man gave a deep-throated growl as he recognised the person. "Sawada Tsunayoshi."

* * *

The Vongola Decimo did not know just what she had gotten herself into. She had followed the will-o-wisp and somehow ended up in a greenhouse. The one that was located farthest away from the mansion and even thought it was tended to, served more as a storage room for things, she had realised. And it was also pretty close to the eerie woods that surrounded the manor.

She didn't know what she had been expecting. A girl bound and tied for her to rescue was one of the scenarios she had in mind but an hourglass with glowing blue sand? Now that was something else. Also, she hadn't expected to run into anyone in the middle of the night. So when she heard a snarl as she reached out to touch the hourglass, she whipped her head around in surprise.

Xanxus.

After registering who it was, her mind went blank.

 _Run. He'll kill you. Run._

The soft voice which she had heard from the will-o-wisp earlier, called out to her again. She had no idea why she was even listening to it. She was just compelled to. Plus he seemed so enraged, she couldn't think of anything else to do; and seeing him after quite some time in such a dishevelled state while leaking so much bloodlust did not help either.

It simply terrified her.

And so, run she did. Ducking out of the raven man's grasp and sprinting off towards where the blue ball of fire led her— straight into the woods of the Varia manor.

* * *

 **A/N:** Okay. I know I promised fluff but it just couldn't fit in here. The chapter would have become a really long one and more rushed than it is now. Do forgive me for rushing this but I just wanted to complete it and put it up since I did promise this chapter would be out before the end of October xD

Well, happy late Halloween to all!

I can't believe I totally ditched my economics project (which I haven't even started) due tomorrow just to finish up this chapter. Oh well, I am the Queen of last minute prep *shrugs* THANK YOU FOR READING! ^^

Thank you for the favourites and follows :')

A big thank you too to **GiuliaZe, Ghiro, SilverMidnightKitten, FANactic Writer** and (you who likes to flip fishes and happiness) **Kiome Shino** for your reviews xD

I am ever so grateful to you for them! ^^

Xanxus and Tsuna dancing to tango music? Hmm…I was thinking more of a classical tune :'3

Yes, **Ghiro,** they will be "dancing" in one of the future chapters to come ;)

Until then, THANK YOU ONCE AGAIN TO ALL FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!


	9. Chapter 9

**Beauty and The Beast: A Varia's Tale**

 **Summary:**

"Only true love can break the curse."

The Varia were so sure they'd never escape their fate now. Why? One. Their boss was incapable of falling in love with women. Two. Because he loved tequila more than anything. Three. And because of reason two, he'd NEVER find love. Or so they thought.

They didn't expect Miss Vongola Decimo, afteral.

[Fem!Tsuna x Xanxus]

* * *

 **DISCLAIMER:** I do not own anything of KHR which is the best mafia related anime and manga in this whole wide world. Only Amano Akira does.

 **Warnings:** With the Varia comes colourful language. Watch out for grammatical errors too!

* * *

 **A/N:** **Please read this note? Thank you.**

Admittedly, this fanfic started without a plot so it might seem like the "ball is being passed around". Yes, I do admit it is, and I was in a rush to complete the previous chapter and some few other chapters before that as well so everything seems kinda messed up. One of the reasons why I got stuck and was unable to write this next chapter, hence the delay.

I know I told someone that I would do a rewrite but hey, I realised some people actually enjoy this messed up fic and so I decided to just go on. I'll get on with a rewrite at some future date, I promise.

And for all of you who are still sticking on with this, thank you :')

Also, **this chapter is dedicated to Ghiro who continuously supported me with PMs during my unintended hiatus**. Thank you so much, dear ^^

Well, here you go, the ninth chapter!

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9\. As white as a wolf.

* * *

 _Previously,_

 _Xanxus._

 _After registering who it was, her mind went blank._

 _Run. He'll kill you. Run._

 _The soft voice which she had heard from the will-o-wisp earlier, called out to her again. She had no idea why she was even listening to it. She was just compelled to. Plus he seemed so enraged, she couldn't think of anything else to do; and seeing him after quite some time in such a dishevelled state while leaking so much bloodlust did not help either._

 _It simply terrified her._

 _And so run she did. Ducking out of the raven man's grasp and sprinting off towards where the blue ball of fire led her— straight into the woods of the Varia manor._

* * *

When Viper arrived, she thought she was too late. She had thought that maybe their boss had really gone and done it. That maybe he had finally lost it and killed Sawada Tsunayoshi with his bare hands. That now the whole of Vongola would come upon them because their boss had killed the famiglia's Decimo. That the fairy's tip off had come a little too late and there was nothing she could do about this whole mess now.

So when she caught sight of the brunette running out of the greenhouse, she heaved a deep sigh of relief.

Why did the woman care anyway?

Because she had her _money_ at stake for this.

But her relief was short lived when she saw the direction which Tsuna ran in.

And she cursed in all the eight languages she was fluent with before rushing into the greenhouse.

She needed the boss to help. Why? Because she was well aware that she wouldn't be able to hold off all the wolves herself and also because of the emotional state the Vongola Decimo was currently in. It would undoubtedly be the very cause of Tsunayoshi's death since the girl so foolishly ran into enemy territory without knowing anything about the situation she had just gotten herself into.

And if Xanxus _did_ end up helping the Decimo, it would apparently be a stepping stone in the progress of removing the curse, according to the male fairy.

 _How did he predict this?_

Viper bit back a groan the moment she stepped into the greenhouse as she was instantly hit by Xanxus's bloodlust entangled with rage which hung heavy in the air.

The greenery was on fire, the table upturned and the hourglass rolling off to a corner. And of course, a very angry raven head stood in the middle of all the chaos. This was going to be a pain in the ass. How the fuck was she supposed to convince the boss to go help the Decimo now!?

What could she say and not get killed for it?

 _Oh the things I do for money!_

* * *

It was _déj_ _à vu_ all over again.

All she had to do was not trip and fall, or run into a tree and then she would not end up meeting some monstrous not-normal wolf which wanted to eat her for a late supper. Or dessert. How hard could it be right?

But of course, it wasn't that easy cause Fate just needed her to fall. Fall and plant her face hard onto the trunk of the tree infront of her, mind you. Frankly speaking, she was pretty tired of this whole thing now. And she could feel the wound on her leg bleeding again.

 _Just great._ She thought.

Alright, this felt like a scene ripped right out of a movie. A horror movie. Did that mean she was the sacrifice here?

The deep throated growls sounded not long after, and even though she was still shivering and frightened of it all , of how everything seemed to be repeating itself, she was more prepared this time. She lifted her head to look straight into the fierce yellow orbs that bore a look of hunger in them.

Correction, about seven sets of yellow orbs looking intently at her.

Did the Varia always have wolves in their woods?

Were they here for some security measure or something?

Well, they were crazy people so she decided not to dwell so much on that thought.

She staggered up to her feet, head still dizzy from banging it against the tree, showering her vision with bright spots, as though the stars in the night sky above her weren't enough. Tsunayoshi huffed as she brought both her clenched fists to her chest, legs slowly parting as her body took on a defensive stance.

She wasn't going to back down.

True, they had caught her off guard in her dream (but was it really a dream?). But they were simply a little delayed in this reality. She was standing now, not sprawled on the ground like some damsel in distress. God forbid, Reborn did not train her to be one. If anything, he probably just trained her to be her own knight in shiny armour.

The largest one of the pack ―definitely the alpha― narrowed its eyes as it allowed its members to step forward, leaving it inside the ring they had just formed. They were all crouched down and prepared to attack. Then the command came, in the form of teeth snapping; an awful sound that would still send shivers down the brunette's spine whenever she recollected this moment.

She dodged the first one who came right at her and twisted her body to punch it in its soft abdomen with a flaming fist, knocking it into the next wolf as she did. She swiftly dropped to a crouch and executed a low kick that did the same to the other oncoming wolf. Her movements were fluid like a perfected dance.

But of course, she was on her own. Seven against one was hardly a fair thing. She knew it too.

A cry escaped her lips as she felt claws scrape her back. She had seen the one behind her too late despite the flare of her intuition. She had just barely managed to dodge the claws but they had given good long scratches. At least it wasn't chunks of her flesh that flew out but rather ribbons of her blood.

It stung and gave her hard time trying to concentrate on the wolves she was fighting.

Another kick.

Another punch.

And some more throwing the wolves into one another while trying to weave her way out of circle they had formed around her, trying to keep her trapped within their clutches. She jumped over one of the mongrels and unintentionally landed on the back of another which had been right next to its companion.

Her arms immediately moved on its own and locked its neck in a tight arm lock as she used her new found balance to swing round the huge beast and kick another wolf right in the mouth. She let go and threw herself the farthest she could from the pack. Her legs hit the ground, bare feet painfully digging into the sharp stones and twigs.

Her slippers might have fallen off sometime during the scuffle.

She managed a snort at the hilarity of it as she ran. She felt herself no better than one of those snow white wolves seeing how she had just fought them off not a while ago. Adrenaline rushed in her veins as she kept on running, the beasts not far behind her.

Tsunayoshi had no idea where she was running to.

Hopefully, she would get out of the woods and maybe get the Varia to assist her.

Or maybe she would lose both her way as well as her life here tonight.

She could fly. That she could. Just whisk herself off from here, she had mastered that much already with no need for any assistance and simply just her dying will. But no, her body already seemed worn. And she had a bleeding injury on her back no thanks to one of those mongrels.

Speaking of them, the brunette did not need to turn around to know that they were right behind her heels, following fast and snapping their teeth whenever they got a little too close.

Just what had she got herself into this time?

She had fought a bear, tigers and lions. Wolves too. But these wolves were obviously far from normal because as far as she was aware, they weren't supposed to be _this_ huge.

Something suddenly shot out of the dark, probably a squirrel or some small animal, tripping her.

She cursed as she quickly shot up but her legs gave away due to the sudden movement, making her collapse right back onto the floor again. A pained gasp escaped her lips when her back hit the ground, objects in the forest cover digging into her skin. She strained to get up, using her arms as support.

But it was too late now.

The wolves were already round her. Stalking round her fallen self in slow circles, with predatory grins slapped onto their snouts. They gave their trademark deep throated growls as they sniffed the air around her.

She slowly lowered her head in a form of submission. She needed to buy time―

 _Then what?_

Tsunayoshi froze at the unexpected question that suddenly popped into her mind. Then what? What would happen next? Did it even matter if she bought herself more time? They were only going to maim her to death anyway. What good would it even bring her, trying to buy more time that is?

She lifted her head to see the alpha take a giant leap into the air.

Everything seemed to move in a slow motion and she couldn't help but watch in horror as the wolf slowly descended upon her. Just like in her dream. Could she even wish for a second chance right now? To just find herself on her bed and staring at the ceiling again?

No. This was reality.

And that changed everything.

She shut her eyes in a moment of fright, just hoping to wake up when all of a sudden, there was a bright light.

And a loud bang that echoed through the night.

Tsunayoshi immediately snapped her caramel brown orbs open in surprise and confusion to watch as the alpha let out a pained cry and fell to the ground, its white fur staining red in a rapid rate. Her eyebrows furrowed, even the wolves snarled and snapped as they turned their backs to her to face the―

"Xanxus." She felt as though the breath had been knocked out of her lungs as she stared at the figure of the Varia boss who appeared from amongst the trees. He had his gun out, posture looking rather relaxed as his crimson gaze languidly came to rest on her.

Her heart gave an erratic beat.

And she just couldn't tell why.

"Get up, you piece of trash." His voice rumbled in a dangerously low tenor which seemed strangely soothing to her. "You look pathetic."

She immediately scrambled to her feet, ignoring the pain as she was so distracted by his sudden appearance. Even the wolves were too as they seemed to quietly scrutinize the new danger that had appeared before them.

It was only the alpha's sharp growl that brought everyone present to the current predicament.

The raven head fired another shot and everything turned into a blur.

There was a lot of snapping of teeth.

Growls and pained whines.

And Tsunayoshi could hear her own soft gasps amongst them whenever she accidentally exerted a little too much movement on her wounded sides.

But she didn't stop.

Soon, she found herself back to back with Xanxus as they fought off the remaining wolves.

The alpha was nowhere to be found by now and there were already four of the huge beasts lying on the forest cover, their white stained with red. Tsunayoshi felt regretful that she had to end the lives of such majestic creatures but she knew it couldn't be helped. It was either kill or be killed.

She huffed in relief when the other two wounded animals staggered away, finally deciding to leave them alone. They snarled as though threatening them to follow before disappearing into the woods.

 _At least we're safe now_ , she thought right before she bend over, hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath―

When all of a sudden she was almost knocked off balance.

Xanxus had shoved her away rudely just in time as the alpha decided to make a sudden appearance from the side, making the beast miss her but not without his arm taking the damage of its intended attack. He hissed in pain as the claws tore through his skin.

"Xanxus!" Tsunayoshi exclaimed as she quickly whirled round with a rightly aimed kick that sent the alpha to crash in a heap a few feet away from the duo. She turned to the man who clutched on to his wounded arm while training his gun on the beast at the same time. "Don't! You'll only―"

BANG!

A quiet whine sounded before the beast's head dropped with a heavy thud, its tongue lolling out.

"―end up hurting your arm more…"

She sighed. Of course, what made her think he would even listen?

There was a heavy silence before she decided to break it.

"Are you okay?"

He turned around so suddenly, she couldn't help but flinch. Not noticing the way a dark look crossed his eyes when she did. She did her best to hold his gaze but gave up anyway and shifted her attention over to his bleeding arm.

"Umm, you'll need to have that treated." She attempted.

 _Why am I even trying to talk to him anyway!?_

… _because you need someone to get you out of here?_

 _Shut up conscience!_

His reply was simply a raised eyebrow before he turned heel and began walking away. She instinctively followed after him because no way in hell was he just going to leave her here. There were probably more wolves around anyway and she didn't have the strength to deal with anymore creatures tonight.

"Stop following me, trash."

"I can't. I don't know my way out of here."

It went on like that for a few minutes, the duo passing on comments to and fro as they walked through the woods. One threatening whilst the other vehemently deflecting all the threats as though it meant nothing, both unaware of being watched by unseen eyes that held satisfaction in their pale green eyes.

Tsunayoshi managed to prevent herself from bumping into the raven head when he suddenly stopped walking.

They had already reached the boundary of the woods by then, the Varia manor in sight much to the brunette's relief. A part of her had thought that Xanxus would have beaten her to pulp and thrown her somewhere deep in the woods, to be left there to rot and be eaten by the residents of the woods.

The moon was high up by then and its light bright, bathing them in silver as they faced each other. Tsunayoshi frowned a little when she realised that there was something off about Xanxus's appearance. She hadn't really noticed it earlier as she was pretty busy trying to live but now that her life wasn't at stake, she saw something different in him.

"Your scars…" was all she could manage to say.

 _Why are they back?_ were the words left unsaid as she just stared.

His look hardened, he hated the way she was staring at him.

Xanxus turned his back to her and marched off again. He did not need her pity. No. He did not even _want_ anyone's pity, in fact. It was annoying how they put on such sympathetic looks when they didn't even understand, when all they did was pretend to know what was truly going on.

"Wait―!"

"Get out of my sight and don't you dare _fucking_ follow me." He snarled.

Tsunayoshi recoiled at the sudden harshness in his tone. What had gotten to him all of a sudden!? But she still followed him nonetheless. He was injured. And he needed to be treated, _immediately_. Why was he being so stubborn!?

"Wait!" She tried calling out as she jogged a little to catch up with him. "You need to treat your arm first!"

He simply ignored her.

She took a deep breath; if he wasn't going to listen to her she was going to _force_ him to.

Really, this was her last resort.

 _Why was she even trying again?_

"As the Vongola Decimo, with the power vested upon me, I command thee, Xanxus of the Varia to stop right _there_!"

And stop he did.

The man turned around with a _very_ amused expression now, with all signs of his annoyance gone, one that seemed almost mocking and made the brunette turn red to the tips of her hair. It wasn't like she even wanted to use that particular command in the first place! He had asked for it, the jerk!

"Oh?" He quirked a brow.

"Alright, now that you've stopped, let's go get that wound attended to." She huffed in annoyance as she marched up to him and then grabbed him by the arm, dragging him along as she headed towards the manor.

Strangely, he didn't protest nor did he try to break away from her grasp. And soon enough, the two of them found themselves inside the infirmary, the brunette fetching the things required to treat his wound and the raven calmly seated on the bed, yawning as though everything was just so boring.

"Here, give me your arm."

He did as she asked and watched with mild interest as she tried rolling up his sleeve with much caution before pausing with a frown.

"What?" He asked.

"I think I'm going to have to cut off your sleeve so that I can work on your wound better."

Xanxus snorted before moving to unbutton his shirt and tossing it aside in one swift action. He didn't know whether to be flattered or simply more amused when the brunette immediately flushed bright red and hastily shifted her head to face the wall.

"Well, aren't you gonna treat me?" He smirked when she squirmed uncomfortably.

"O-Of course." She coughed, as she began to wipe off the blood with a muslin cloth soaked in antiseptic. She marvelled over how the man didn't even seem to flinch at the obvious burning sensation. Was he very used to this?

As she mused over it while quietly doing her job, she unconsciously found herself staring at him; only snapping back to reality when their eyes met, crimson clashing with caramel brown.

She froze.

And the other just stared back with a growing intensity in his gaze.

For a moment, she thought she might drown in the deep crimson, her breath catching in her throat again and her stomach clenching in a rather uncomfortable manner. She was feeling a little queasy and she sure hoped it wasn't her stomach reacting negatively to her dinner, though it was served hours ago.

Should she say something?

She opened her mouth to do so when―

"BOSSU! ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?"

Tsunayoshi flinched at the rather sudden interruption and unintentionally pressed the cloth down hard against the man's wound, making him hiss at the sharp sting that ran up his arm.

"OhmygoshIamsosorry!" The brunette squeaked out in surprise.

"You piece of _trash_ ―"

Meanwhile, Lussuria wisely chose to slowly back out of the room and shut the door. He was quite sorry he had interrupted what seemed to be like a "moment" between the two, but he still wore a smile.

"Well, at least there's some progress."

* * *

 **A/N:**

Alright, I'm so sorry, I don't know what fluff is anymore, but if that seemed like fluff to you, well, thank you xD rofl

And sorry for the really long wait, this chapter was just not cooperating with me. But now that I've nailed it down, I'm excited to present it to you! And I do hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

I do admit, this chapter was probably my favourite because ohmygawd, the other chapters need really heavy edits, now that I've gone through them again *facepalms* but THANK YOU for sticking on with this story and supporting it! I really appreciate it and am ever grateful! ^^

A big thank you to my awesome reviewers, **Breath after Death, Nekohana, GiuliaZe, FANactic Writer, MacieRaquelAbby, Guest (Nov 5, 2016), Ayooty1, Ghiro, Lady Syndra, Guest (Nov 29, 2016), D C JoKeR H S, POTDMARY1, okay2304, Guest (Feb 15), ShiroTsume, Kenny, Guest (Mar 8), Royalty Scans** and **Frwt.**

Wooh, that was quite a lot of names xD

And dearest reviewer **Kenny** , thank you so much for your kind words, you don't know how much they mean to me :') I do hope you read this chapter too!

And a big thank you to all who put favourites and follows on this work!

THANK YOU FOR READING!


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